Sheep god of fertility). Other deities occasionally shown with ram features include the goddess Ishtar, the Phoenician god Baal-Hamon, and the Babylonian god Ea-Oannes. In Madagascar, sheep were not eaten as they were believed to be incarnations of the souls of ancestors. There are many ancient Greek references to sheep: that of Chrysomallos, the golden-fleeced ram, continuing to be told through into the modern era. Astrologically, Aries, the ram, is the first sign of the classical Greek zodiac, and the sheep is the eighth of the twelve animals associated with the 12-year cycle of in the Chinese zodiac, related to the
Dragon (zodiac) Dragon (zodiac) The Dragon () is the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. It is also the only zodiac sign represented by a mythical creature, rather than a real life animal. The Year of the Dragon is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 辰, pronounced "chen". It has been proposed by one academic researcher that the Earthly Branch character may have been associated with scorpions; it may have symbolized the Star Antares. In the Buddhist calendar used in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, the Dragon is