Aquarius the Water Bearer, located between Pisces and Capricorn, is one of the oldest signs, in ancient times ruling the area of the zodiac that was associated with water or rain, called 'the Sea' by the Babylonians (Aquarius, Pisces, Capricorn, Cetus and Delphinus), The symbol for Aquarius is equal to the Egypt hieroglyph for water, in ancient Mesopotamia it was held for the sender of the winter rains.

According to Egyptian legends, Aquarius rose from the horizon and caused the sun bringing fertility to the lands, he was attached to Hapi, the god of the Nile (see Hapi's hieroglyph aside).
He lived in his watery realms near the Nile cataracts, along with his devoted crocodile and frog goddesses, and was responsible for the river's flooding, when pouring out the waters of the Nile onto the land. To understand the importance of this, one must remember what a tremendous meaning the Nile had to Egypt, giving fertility and life to a land that otherwise would be nothing but desert.

The Greek associated Aquarius with Ganymede, the young boy with whom Zeus fell in love. Zeus robbed Ganymede from his father and gave him a place in Olymp as his lover and the god's cup bearer. To comfort Ganymede's grievieng father, Zeus promised to make the boy immortal, and because of Hera's flaming jealousy, he placed Ganymede in the sky as a star constellation.

In Plato's time this story was taken as an example for homosexuality. Chistian astrologers of coursed ignored this point, but it could explain why the Aquarius is generally associated to attributes like independance, tolerance and uncommon ways and views.

In common astrology, Aquarius is an air sign, but we shouldn't forget the ancient view of him being part of the Sea, associated to water and fertility. The legend of Ganymede talks of emotions as well, and Ganymede was a figure known for lovable beauty and devotion rather than for intellect and independence.
In the Egypt legend Aquarius shows much more power and charakter, but still is the bringer of life and fertility, proving his power from time to time by letting the Nile flood the land. Here a bit similarity to another Greek myth associated to Aquarius in which Zeus poured all the waters from the heavens out on the Earth to wash off the evil.