Mars symbol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mars symbol (♂) may refer to:
- In biology, the male sex
- In mythology, the Roman god Mars or the Greek god Ares
- In astronomy, the planet Mars
- In alchemy, iron
- In bars, the men's bathroom
- On automobiles, Volvo Cars
In old manuscripts, the Mars symbol was drawn as a Venus symbol rotated 135 degrees anti-clockwise. So it originally had a cross instead of the arrow. Alchemists constructed the symbol from a cross (representing matter) above a circle (representing spirit). The later Mars symbol is usually interpreted as the spear and shield from the war god Mars/Ares.
- See also: Venus symbol and Gender symbol
