Aries is the baby of the zodiac. Ruled by passionate, energetic Mars, Aries is the first sign, the brand new beginning of the wheel of the zodiac.
They represent the exuberant energy of early Spring, bursting forth energetically from the ground with wild abandon, ready to take on the world. They are the Cardinal fire sign, which screams of leadership, bravery, energy, and physical prowess.
Like a baby newly born, they embody the vulnerability of learning every new sensation, while possessing no hesitation when it comes to asking for what they want, even if it means they are screaming their desires into the world.
In this article, we will talk more about these traits and which animals are considered Aries Spirit Animals.
What Is A Spirit Animal?
A zodiac spirit animal is an animal that embodies the energy of a sign, and holds lessons that those with strong sign placements can learn through the animal’s innate nature and symbolism.
There are multiple spirit animals for each sign, as signs are not flat representations of personality, but multi-faceted and complex.
What Are The Aries Spirit Animals?
The Aries spirit animal embodies Aries’ lust for life, bravery, and passion, as well as their leadership skills, clever, adaptable minds, defensiveness, vulnerability, playfulness, and sweetness.
The Ram is the traditional symbol of Aries, for good reason, as we will discuss. But there are other animals who embody Aries energy, like the majestic hawk, the fierce tiger, the lighthearted hummingbird, and the defensive Porcupine.
Let’s take a look at what ties these spirit animals to the Aries archetype.
1. The Ram
Aries, the Ram with the golden fleece from heroic tales like Heracles and Jason and the Argonauts, is who gives the Aries constellation its name. Though Aries is not to be conflated in mythology with Ares, God of War, Mars (the Roman version of Ares) is Aries’ ruling planet.
The ram is an appropriate spirit animal for Aries, a sign that is often known for charging straight into things and butting heads in order to gain supremacy and leadership.
Aries’ passion mirrors the biological imperative of the rams, who need to pass on their genes so badly that they are willing to engage in shocking violence in order to do so.
If you’ve ever watched two rams go horn to horn, you know the fierceness involved. This fierceness bleeds into the Aries’ nature in every aspect of their lives.
Leader of the Pack
Though rams are technically sheep, Aries are not followers by any means. As the first sign of the zodiac, they are trailblazers, leaders, and pioneers. They would rather go their own way than follow the crowd, if they can’t be in charge.
Aries can be docile, but for the most part, only after they’ve gotten their own way. Like any sign trait, the full picture depends on a person’s other placements.
Aries is a sign that will stop at nothing and has a way of overlooking any obstacles that might prevent them from reaching their goal.
Like the ram, who seemingly defies gravity in order to reach mountainous heights, similarly to fellow Cardinal Earth sign Capricorn’s spirit animal, the goat, Aries can ignore hardship and rocky terrain in order to reach their dreams.
One thing the ram can teach Aries is endurance. Embodying a flash in the pan mentality, Aries often comes on strong and then fizzles shortly thereafter. They’re great at starting out a plan, and a little less great on the follow through.
Oftentimes it seems like they just wanted to reach the goal, not live in it. There’s always something new to pursue once they’ve proven they can achieve something.
Some endurance in following through and maintaining momentum throughout their endeavors can help Aries find some much-needed stability in their lives.
2. The Hawk
The hawk is the master of their domain. They rule the sky, hunting with great efficiency, precision, and deadly accuracy. They symbolize leadership, independence, and confidence, all traits that Aries possesses in spades.
Aries are natural born leaders, and they know it. They can come across as arrogant and egotistical, but they often have the chops to back it up.
Other signs who may be more passive can view Aries’ self-possession in a negative light because they are used to existing in a less straightforward manner. With Aries, everything is on the table.
Like hawks, who are utterly confident in their dominion, an Aries in their element, whatever that happens to be for each individual Aries, is a really majestic sight to see.
They can be aspirational to those looking to bring a little more self-confidence into their personalities. Their sharpness and observational skills can bring a lot to the table.
Fly like a bird, take to the sky
Aries works well in a group, preferably as the leader, but they are also quite well suited to working independently. To some Aries, it might be preferable to work alone, since they are then not obligated to take any other voices into account but their own.
This self assuredness is certainly admirable, and oftentimes Aries proves themselves up to the task of completing projects or goals on their own with no supervision or collaboration.
An evolved Aries will learn in time that no man is an island, and once they realize what they can achieve with the right collaborators, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Hawks are also able to adapt to new situations well, and Aries is no different. Though they can be stubborn, they are not rigid.
Hawks can teach Aries to be more fluid in their thinking and that sometimes, in order to get what you want, you must find the right breeze and let it guide you to your destination, rather than trying to push and control the journey the whole way.
3. The Tiger
Fierce, fearless, and clever, the tiger is a perfect embodiment of Aries energy. These impressive hunters inspire awe in all those who encounter them.
They are brave, unafraid to try new things, explore new places, or meet new people. Whenever a new challenge presents itself, tigers, like Aries, find themselves equal to the task.
Like the tiger, Aries can be intimidating when they want to be. They’re able to adapt to their circumstances so well, and get things done with so much energy and flair, that others might feel their lights a bit dimmed in the Aries presence.
Aries jumps into everything they do with fearlessness, tackling everything that comes in their way. This ferocity and passion can also be inspiring, rather than intimidating… or perhaps a little bit of both.
Eye of the Tiger
When a tiger sees the prey it wants, its drive to make the kill takes over everything else, and there is nothing their target can do about it.
Tigers and Aries are also not big on planning ahead. When they see an opportunity, they take it. While they can be clever tactitions, they’re not the ones in the room with the map, carefully planning out plans of attack.
No, Aries is more like the war general who is out in the trenches observing the situation on the ground, ready to change course on a moment’s notice if there is some obstacle to any plans they might have made.
Tigers are not ones to back down from a fight. They move through their world with graceful confidence because they know that they’re the biggest and baddest predators in the jungle.
Really, the only threat there is to a tiger (other than the extremely destructive human animal, who either destroys their habitats or wishes to confer their power and energy to themselves by hunting them as a game for their skins) is another tiger.
Similarly, when multiple Aries placements get together it can become something of a power struggle for dominance of the situation. If they teamed up, their power would be completely unmatched, but they prefer to lead or work alone. The world probably isn’t ready for tigers who roam in packs anyway.
4. The Hummingbird
Taking a sharp left turn from the strong, fierce, and intimidating first few Aries spirit animals, we now move on to the hummingbird. This spirit animal might be a surprise, but if you know Aries, you know that oftentimes their intense outer appearance belies a very tender and sensitive soul within.
Hummingbirds are tiny, fast moving creatures, hyper alert and high strung, just like Aries. They never seem to land, instead flitting from flower to flower on their powerfully fast wings.
They represent the vulnerability of inner Aries, who can present a front of overconfidence only because they feel deeply insecure and sensitive on the inside.
Being the first member of the zodiac, everything they do has an unrefined feel to it, and almost no subtlety. Aries are wells of raw emotion waiting to burst forth.
The Age of Innocence
Rather than approaching life with wisdom and experience, Aries possesses a surprising innocence. They’re charging headlong into life because they haven’t had the chance to learn cautiousness. It has no use for them; there’s too much to explore and do.
Hummingbirds may be small, but they travel a surprisingly far distance in their migratory patterns. They are intrepid and know that if they get scared away from one flower, they have the speed to make it to another one before their predator even knows they are gone.
Aries is also a very lighthearted and enthusiastic sign. Their passions burn hot and bright, but are quickly burned out. If you ever find yourself in conflict with an Aries, don’t expect them to hold onto a grudge for very long. Their minds are so fast-moving, always searching out the next new thrill, and don’t have much space for grudges or resentment.
The hummingbird has a tiny brain, which symbolizes Aries inability to hold onto ideas for very long. Don’t mistake their innocence and naivety for dull-wittedness, however. They are very sharp and bright, they just don’t have much capacity for long-lasting emotions.
Aries find joy in the small things in life, like the hummingbird enjoying sweet nectar while flitting from flower to flower.
5. The Porcupine
Finally, the porcupine, possibly the most feared critter in nature, besides skunks. Though they don’t chase down prey or hunt, the porcupine has a lot of sharp, unpleasant, and possibly fatal weapons attached to their outer bodies should anybody mess with them.
Porcupines can be surprisingly aggressive, with many different lines of defense for anyone who might try to mess with them. This is similar to Aries, who never backs down from a fight, and has plenty of sharp words to sting their opponents with, should they dare to challenge them.
When Aries is attacked, or perceives that they are, they take it very seriously, even if the offense was only meant in jest. They will respond to even the most gentle ribbing with fury and shoot back a barbed attack; often something shockingly personal and probably unwarranted. Of course, they will forget or at least get over the offense quickly, while leaving their victim possibly permanently wounded and in shock.
Similarly, even an animal that might want to simply play with a porcupine is in danger of being stabbed by its quills. They are an aggressively defensive animal that has a swift retribution for anybody else who dares be aggressive towards them.
Animals in the wild who are pierced by a porcupine’s quills often find the encounter to be fatal, when they can’t remove the quills, or if any ingested quills make their way out of the digestive system and into their body. The sting of a porcupine’s attack lasts for much longer than the encounter.
The Danger of Defense
Of course, porcupines need these defenses in order to stay alive, but Aries isn’t necessarily in danger from words that could hurt them. As much as they can, Aries should take a moment before deciding to lash out at anyone who might hurt them. People often find their prickly dispositions hard to stomach, and Aries can be very misunderstood.
Rather than acting on impulse, which is Aries hard-wired acting mode, they would do well to regulate their emotions before acting on any imagined – or even real – slight.
They can save relationships and keep themselves from being independent by default, because nobody wants to work with them.
Because, deep down, despite their dangerous exterior, porcupines are actually quite cute and sweet animals. Aries, too, are sweet and playful, and wonderful companions, as well as fiercely loyal and protective of their family and friends.
Those who learn to work with Aries, rather than against them, will find them some of the funniest, and most enjoyable people to know.
Which Aries Spirit Animal Are You?
All of these animals possess differing and overlapping traits that are unique to Aries. They embody Aries energy and also have something they can teach Aries in kind. Anyone looking to embody Aries energy for themselves can learn from these animals as well.
Which Aries spirit animal resonated with you the most? Are there any other animals that stick out to you as Aries spirit animals?
If you want to learn more about zodiac spirit animals, check out these articles:
- 5 Spirit Animals That Represent Scorpio
- The Leo Spirit Animals Explained
- 5 Sagittarius Spirit Animals Guides
- What Are The Pisces Spirit Animals?
- 5 Amazing Capricorn Spirit Animals
- 3 Spirit Animals That Perfectly Represent Aquarius
- Discover Your Virgo Spirit Guide
- Spirit Animals That Perfectly Represent Taurus