The 1883 Character You Are Based On Your Zodiac Sign

The period Western spin-off of the hit drama "Yellowstone" "1883" has already impressed critics and fans alike not just for its connection to its parent series but for its unique style and tone. Not the upbeat cowboy adventure that some may have expected, "1883" is instead a slower-paced drama with a restrained and somber tone. However, the series is full of complex and nuanced characters – led by Western movie veteran Sam Elliott alongside country music stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw — who endure hardship as they slowly make the arduous trek from Texas to Oregon.

At the center of the story is a group of settlers on a long journey across the country. The trek has united a number of different people from all corners of America. These include the ex-soldier Shea, his partner Thomas — an agent of the Pinkerton Detective Agency — the Duttons, a family of pioneers, hired hands Wade and Ennis, as well as several passersby they encounter in their early travels. Featuring cowboys, renegades, outlaws, Germans, Romani, and more, the series has a diverse cast of characters. 

From James Dutton to Josef, we've matched them up with the 12 signs of the zodiac, so you can decide who you best identify with. Keep reading to see which character on "1883" you are based on your zodiac sign.

James Dutton is a man who knows exactly what he wants and goes after it without hesitation. Bold, confident, without any arrogance — just sure of himself — he stridently fights for his family at all costs. He's not unwilling to admit he needs help either, as he does when he joins Shea's wagon train and is acknowledges that joining the larger group would give him a better chance of staying alive on the journey to Oregon. He comes to this realization because he is prideful but modest, not cocky.

When faced with a raging river, James has a plan to cross it. When a storm is approaching, James knows how to handle it. And when bandits come knocking, you can bet James Dutton will be ready to raise his six-shooter and fight them off. This is all because, as the strong, level-headed one, James Dutton represents the sign of Aries. An Aries who is always ready for anything and makes no apologies for his actions. However, as an Aries, his one weakness might be a tendency to bite off a bit more than he can chew, and his self-assuredness can lead to tunnel vision. It's also hard for him to ask for help because he's confident his own plans can get the job done, and going it alone can get him into trouble.

Thomas, the Pinkerton agent and former Union soldier, is a friend and associate of Shea Brennan hired in the first episode by settlers to act as guides on a northern-bound wagon train. As a kind, generous,  and good-natured individual, Thomas appropriately contrasts Shea's gruff, steely, and cold-hearted demeanor. While Shea is there to whip the group into shape by pushing them and demanding obedience to his leadership, Thomas has a softer touch, a gentler heart, and a warmer gaze. More than an ex-soldier and frontier lawman, Thomas is a fatherly guide and a helpful mentor at heart.

When Noemi loses her husband and is alone, she seeks comfort and support from Thomas, who is reluctant to take her as a lover because he does not want to take advantage of her. These are all traits you'll find in the sign of the Taurus. Those born under this sign are often stalwart souls who offer a rock to lean against while wanting nothing in return. It's difficult for Thomas to accept Noemi's affection and even harder to give it back. While there may be a bigger reason in his past that has made it difficult to form that bond, it could also be the Taurus in him, as those born under the sign of the bull are never careless with their feelings and take matters of romance seriously.

The matriarch of the Dutton family, Margaret, holds up her husband James, Elsa, and little John. While she may be happy to cede control of their destiny to her husband, Margaret has lost none of her strength nor her fierce spirit. Warm, loving, genuine, and earnest, Margaret is wise and honorable and perhaps the noblest person we've seen in "1883." Steady and calm amid chaos, she is a wooden plank for others to walk over during troubled times. She is ruled by her heart, for her caring and loving nature can sometimes overwhelm her better judgment. For these reasons and more, Margaret Dutton perfectly embodies the spirit of the Leo sign.

Margaret wants to make sure that others see her many strengths. She sometimes uses anger to project her power, which helps her appear as an unbreakable woman. This is important on the frontier, where being perceived as weak can be one's undoing. At times, her family, especially Elsa — but also James at times — have viewed her as overbearing, but as a Leo, that perception is only because of her tremendous warmth and deep caring for her loved ones. She wants to protect them at all costs and doesn't care how they may feel about it, let alone how those outside her family perceive it.

Before the premiere of "1883" some fans of its parent series, "Yellowstone," may have assumed it would focus on James Dutton. After all, James was the ancestor of Kevin Costner's character, John, and leader of the first Dutton family on the frontier. However, as the series made its way through its first season, it became clear this was the story of Elsa Dutton, a young woman traveling across the vast wilderness of the American frontier on a journey not just to find a new life but to discover herself. In many ways, "1883" is the story of Elsa's growth from innocent youth into a hardened adult. She is both a naive child and a wise old soul who has been shaped by the harsh experiences she has already had since leaving Texas. 

Elsa is a dreamer and a wanderer driven not by ambition or greed, but "by the wind," as her mother so eloquently described, which is why she is a Pisces. Her heart is full of love, and when it's emptied, she seeks more, as we have seen from her multiple romances already, as well as in her eagerness to find kindred spirits, companionship, and even flirtation. She believes in people, as well as in the beauty of the land and the sky. Like a Pisces, Elsa would dissolve into the Earth and be swept up by the wind if she could, for her spirit may be too strong to be captured by a mortal body.

Though emotional, the traveler Noemi does her best to remain stoic in the face of adversity, from the death of her husband to the destruction of her wagon. For this reason, Noemi is our pick for Aquarius, the "purposefully esoteric" one, who believes in big ideas and big concepts over deep emotions. For instance, her love for Thomas is about what he represents. As a Romani immigrant, she is not the most welcome within the varied group of settlers and often feels like an outcast — another trait commonly associated with the sign of the Pisces.

Aquarians are charming world-builders, too, pulling others into their orbit with a smile and their innate kindness, as Noemi does with Thomas. Now paired with the Pinkerton agent, Noemi looks to build her world on the frontier with him by her side as her partner and protector. Often asking herself why she cannot be accepted, loved, and embraced by ordinary people, the truth is she would never really want to be ordinary and enjoys what makes her unique. She sees America as the bastion of freedom, where she and people like her can be themselves without fear, even that's proving a bit harder than she had expected.

Endlessly talkative and devilishly charming, Ennis' is a high-energy cowboy who joins Shea Brennan's wagon train with his good friend and fellow ranch hand Wade. He loves a good debate and always has a twinkle in his eye. Perceptive, witty, and full of life, Ennis is a Gemini, adaptable and comfortable around everyone he meets, whether it's a fierce gunslinger like Shea, or the gentle cowgirl Elsa, who he falls hard for soon after they meet.

His affection for Elsa is emblematic of the Gemini personality, as those born under this sign are often drawn to the mysterious type. Elsa, who is a delicate, beautiful young woman who can ride a horse better than most men, is the epitome of this. In the world of "1883" Elsa is an enigma that Ennis has to learn more about, and when he does, he can't look away.

While it's sometimes said that a Gemini is two-faced, that can be misleading. Rather than strictly meaning duplicity, it can also mean that they have very different sides to them. This is seen in Ennis, who is a tough cowboy with a strong sense of integrity but also a sensitive, caring, and gentle soul who's willing to die for those he loves.

Shea Brennan is a haunted, desperate man with a dark past that we have seen only fleeting glimpses of. While he's our Scorpio, in his younger years he may have been our pick for a different sign of the zodiac, such as an Aries or even a Taurus. However, after losing his family to disease and having been traumatized by years of war, Shea peers into the darkness of the void. Afraid of few things — not pain, not suffering, nor death — his only fear is being alone and letting others see into his soul. Cold and steely-eyed from years of war and frontier living, Shea is perfectly happy to remain in silence. Aloof and distant, he keeps to himself and is a difficult man to get to know. 

That said, Shea is still a good man who demands that those around him do what's right, which makes him as ruthless as he is morally upright. His worldview is unforgiving, as he sees the world as a dog-eat-dog place where one must kill or be killed. Survival is paramount, even if that survival is hard-fought and painful. Unfortunately, it's his Scorpio traits that have made him a poor leader of the wagon train, and it is only his dire fear of being alone that humbly allows him to pass the responsibility to James Dutton and continue on with him.

Though we've only met him briefly, we're hoping we haven't seen the last of U.S. Marshal Courtright, the real-life lawman introduced in the second episode of  "1883." That episode sees Shea, James, and Thomas headed into Fort Worth to get justice for an attack on their camp. With Josef's help, they identify the outlaws who killed several of their people, and Courtright swiftly kills each of them. A cold-hearted gunfighter and man of justice, Courtright is a smart, cunning man who doesn't hesitate to kill a vicious criminal because, as a Sagittarius, he is dedicated to upholding the standards of law with ruthless efficiency.

Smooth and uncompromising, it was Courtright's Sagittarian nature that sees him coldly waltz into the saloon and ask each outlaw what they had done. He then shoots them down in cold blood when he gets the answer he is looking for. A warrior and a poet, Courtright is a controversial figure, both in real-life — where he was caught up in scandal and ultimately killed in a gunfight in 1887 — and in the show, where Shea, James, and Thomas are taken aback at the lack of mercy he shows in the saloon. Though his appearance in the series is brief, he makes a memorable impression, as most Sagittarians do.

Margaret Dutton's sister Claire makes a brief but memorable appearance in the first two episodes of "1883." Prim, proper, and obsessed with respect, Claire is the overbearing sister who demands people behave just so. As a master of discipline, Claire is a Capricorn through and through. Her clear feelings of superiority are rooted in her true deeper sense of inferiority because while she is critical of her sister's family, and particularly her niece Elsa, it becomes obvious that she envies them both in many ways. 

She likely wishes for the independence that Elsa was given and the pioneering spirit of her sister. While she claims to enjoy the life she has lived, she isn't truly happy. Those feelings only get worse after an attack on the camp leaves her own daughter dead, with little left to live for. Claire is also a self-absorbed perfectionist who looks down on the immigrants and becomes resentful when forced to help them.

A kind and gentle cowboy, Wade joins the wagon train run by Shea and Thomas along with his good friend Ennis. Wade signs on because he is looking for some adventure and has come to sympathize with the settlers' plight, even stating that helping them is "the chivalrous thing to do." The Cancer of the group, Wade is more sensitive than the average cowboy. He is less a fighter than a provider who is willing to provide a wise word and a warm smile. When he's given a job, he does it not just because he's ordered to, but because he wants to help and contribute to the greater good, as is the way of the Cancer.

While "1883" has yet to delve too deeply into Wade's backstory, it's possible — if not likely — that he's carrying some genuine grief that guides his kindness. Many Cancers carry a dark past with them but use it to motivate their caregiving nature. They like the comfort of the familiar and being a part of something bigger than themselves, which is why Wade chooses to stay with the wagon train — the frontier is his life, the struggle on the plains is what he knows, and shepherding the group gives him a greater sense of purpose. 

The de facto leader of the group of immigrant settlers is Josef, who steps forward to act as their translator and peacekeeper, intent on being a helpful part of the journey to Oregon. Always looking to be useful, he is our Virgo on "1883." Josef is not motivated by his self-interest but works for the good of the entire group, with no bias towards any one individual or family. Josef views all of the foreign settlers as one people and wants to keep them all together to build a new life in the north. When things look grim and Shea suggests changes to their journey that would alter their fates, Josef stands his ground, determined to provide for the entire group the American dream and new life he wants for himself.

Josef also suffers from one of the weaknesses of those born under the sign of Virgo, as their good nature and often soft-spoken manner can sometimes lead them to be taken advantage of. Thankfully, Josef proves himself to be able to overcome his reluctance to stand up for what he believes in, making it known that he will protect and defend his people.

Arriving to help the wagon train, Sam, a Native American, has his first flirtation with Elsa Dutton when he challenges her to a horse race. When Elsa wins riding atop her golden steed, he gives her a new name in his language, "Lightning with the Yellow Hair." A man of contradictions, Sam is a puzzle to Elsa, which is partly why she is so taken with him. She wants to understand him, and he wants to understand her. Sam is a Libra, a compassionate and empathetic person who will go out of his way to help others. He helps James learn how to break a horse in a river and teaches Shea how to herd wild horses. And, of course, he saves Elsa's life when she is on the run from dangerous bandits.

A budding relationship with Elsa hits a roadblock when Elsa departs Sam's territory, but they promise to reunite as they appear to be kindred spirits. Relationships are important to Libras, as they find balance in companionship and seek out partners who are true equals. Sam seems to love Elsa for her toughness, her strength, and the fiery energy she gets from her mother, which is something he's likely never seen before.