Cosmologically Speaking . . . : A Special Case: The Constellations of Ophiuchus The Serpent-Handler and Serpens The Serpent

Serpens and Ophiuchus aka Basmu and Serpentarius.

Few people familiar with the Zodiac are aware that there is a thirteenth constellation in the Circle of Animals. This 13th constellation is not an astrological Sign, however, not in the Tropical system of astrology. Nor is it recognized as a sign by many Vedic astrologers. The constellation is Ophiuchus The Snake Handler. Ophiuchus lies between Scorpio and Sagittarius, and the sun astronomically transits the constellation between the 30th of November and the 17th of December.

Ophiuchus has an astrological name --- Serpentarius --- and a glyph --- a transected U --- in those astrological systems that include the sign. The dates of astrological transit vary among astrologers, taking varying numbers of days from Scorpio and Sagittarius.

The most common glyph associated with Ophiuchus.

A mix of Scorpio and Sagittarius?

Still another Ophiuchus glyph.

To make things a bit more complex, Ophiuchus is holding a large snake in his hands, the constellation Serpens The Serpent. Serpens is considered a totally separate constellation, and it is not crossed by the ecliptic.

To make things even more complicated, Serpens is divided into two halves by the body of Ophiucus. The two halves of Serpens are called Serpens Caput (The Serpent's Head) and Serpens Cauda (The Serpent's Tail) and though they are non-contiguous, Serpens is considered one single constellation.

The Snake Handler and his Snake.

Officially, and according to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), both Ophiuchus and Serpens are part of the Hercules Family of constellations, though NASA considers Ophiuchus to be in the Zodiac.

In Greek mythology, Ophiuchus is considered to be the figure of the historical healer Asclepius, though why the asterism simply wasn't called Asclepius is another mystery.

Once a holy symbol, then the staff of the god Hermes, the caduceus remains the symbol of the physician.

An alternate glyph, reminiscent of the caduceus.

Snakes have been associated with the sacred and with healing since time immemorial. The connection is so remote and established that even the ancients had a slightly sarcastic take on it: "If you want to make something sacred just slap two snakes with wings on it." The symbol of the caduceus still represents medicine, though in the old days it was considered the seal of sacred precincts.
In the early Serpent Cults, just like Ophiuchus is doing, the priests handled the creatures freely, dancing with them in their hands, and even allowing themselves to be bitten. Just like scorpion venom, snake venom was used as a medicine, a poison, and a psychotropic.
Serpens The Serpent was Basmu, the Horned Serpent or Dragon, a god in ancient Sumer.

In Sumerian myth, Ophiuchus seemed to have been called "The Sitting God." It is unclear whether this "sitting god" was part of the early Zodiac. The question is up for debate. Some say yes, and some say no.
The yesses shake off the seeming violation of the base 60 Mesopotamian calculating system by simply including Ophiuchus.
The noes point to the fact that a thirteenth astrological sign would have disrupted the sexigesimal number system of the Sumerians.
Everyone seems to overlook the fact that Libra was either part of Scorpio (the claws) or part of Virgo (the scales of justice) until the era of Classical Rome.
Thus, Ophiuchus or Serpentarius or Asclepius, or whatever other name he was known by, would have been a twelfth sign (falling between Scorpio and Sagittarius). There is no sure lore on what the qualities of the sign Serpentarius would have been. Modern astrologers who include Ophiuchus in the signs say, "A combination of Scorpio and Sagittarius".
It seems to me (strictly an opinion) that the qualities of Ophiuchus were simply reassigned to Libra when The Snake Handler was exiled from the Zodiac. I say "exiled" for he vanished from the Circle of Animals (and was divided and redivided from his Serpent) around the time that the ancient Serpent Cults were finally dying out.
If you look at Ophiuchus he resembles a man on a high wire, balancing carefully with a pole in his hands, a very "Libra"-like interpretation of The Snake Handler, who suddenly strongly resembles the balancing man on the tarot card of the Two of Pentacles (which is usually associated nowadays with Gemini). "Balance" is also a key quality of health (homeostasis).

Rider Waite Tarot: The Two of Pentacles. A man keeping his balance.

The debate on Ophiuchus will go on both in astrological circles (Sign / Not a Sign) and astronomical circles (Zodiac / Not Zodiac), probably as long as humans can bicker.
Ophiuchus' brightest star is Rasalhague, Number 46 in the Nautical Almanac. The brightest star in Serpens is Unukhalhai, either "The Serpent's Neck" or "The Serpent's Heart," a Second Magnitude star in Serpens Caput. Serpens Cauda is remarked by Messier 16, the Eagle Nebula, 7000 light years distant, home of the Pillars of Creation seen by the Hubble Telescope.