Symbolism of Venus, Mars, and Gender Roles

Would you even believe that through science, medicine, and even music that there have been two very obvious astrological and alchemical symbols, which have been used for hundreds of years, to symbolize both the male sex and the female sex?

Well, believe it, because it’s true!

Mars and Venus

Although many of us have established an understanding that gender and sex are not the same thing, this has not always been the case in society. The planet Mars is often a symbol of masculine features, but not necessarily only for men. Likewise, the planet Venus is typically interpreted as a symbol for more feminine characteristics, and is not limited to only women.

The names of the planets, Mars and Venus, come from Ancient Greece and Rome. They’re based on mythological stories where these names were carried over to other practices over time through symbolism. For this reason, Mars stands as our masculine symbol, while Venus is our feminine.

Gender Roles

A few hundred years ago, specifically in the Western world, gender wasn’t something proudly displayed. As far as the people of the time were concerned, there was no difference between gender and sex. To the majority of them, a male and a man were the same thing, while a female and women were synonyms.

Gender roles, however, describe to us someone who could have been born the female sex, for example, but lives their life through the gender role of a man. Because gender roles weren’t something often taken seriously or challenged, this meant that we perceived Mars symbolically as a male who was a man and Venus symbolically as a female who was a woman.

Gender and sex are not synonyms, contrary to some cultural and religious limitations.

If this is confusing to you, to put it more simply, the male sex is someone who is born with a penis and the female sex is someone who is born with a vagina. Gender, on the other hand, doesn’t care what is between anyone’s legs. In fact, gender is absolutely fine with someone, like a woman that has a penis. This would mean simply that their sex is male, but their gender is feminine or fluid.

Symbolism of Mars & Venus

Below are two symbols that are used in astrology to represent Mars and Venus. In modern medicine and science, these are also symbolic representations of sex. The symbol on the left is male (Mars) and the symbol on the right is female (Venus).

So, why did we elude the symbols of these two planets to congruently become the symbols for the sexes? To understand that question, we would have to know a bit more about the two planets, Mars and Venus and the qualities they are said to symbolically embody.

Mars

• The red planet, Mars, rules the zodiac sign we know as Aries.
• Aries, known in mythology as Ares, the god of war.
• Known for aggression, a competitive and assertive nature, and the drive to act based on primal instincts and a strong will to survive.
• Brutal, courageous, energetic, and strong, Mars is determined to unabashedly go after what it wants and rarely stops to consider much else until it’s done.
• Tendency to focus too heavily on sexual activity and desire rather than sensuality or intimacy.
• Impulsive, headstrong, and uncontrollable characteristics can quickly set temperamental Mars up in flames.
• Problems may occur due to a need for introspection because Mars is unlikely to take responsibility for the chaos they’ve caused.

Venus

• She has a deep desire to be wanted and lusted after by the opposite sex and will be wounded without the attention.
• Sensuality, pleasure, and beauty is the choice of scenery Venus generally bestows.
• While Sometimes depicted holding a mirror up to herself to admire her own features, the goddess Venus can be perceived as somewhat vain.
• She has an eye for aesthetics, the arts, and a perhaps idealistic desire for romance and these can likewise be said for the signs Venus rules, which are Taurus and Libra.
• To love and to be loved, marriage, and fertility are the songs of her luxurious heart. Materialistic, indulgent, and unable to feel harmony without comfort are some shadow sides of Venus.

Mars & Venus in Alchemy

To my surprise, I had recently stumbled upon the symbols for Venus and Mars in an unexpected place. This discovery is what inspired this post. What I had found were the two symbols for male and female, and Venus and Mars once again in another place!

In alchemy, the symbol for Mars and male is also the symbol for iron. Iron is incredibly strong. In fact, you can’t make steel without iron. Iron is vital for the growth and function of the human body, but most interestingly, females are more likely to be iron deficient than males.

The symbol for Venus and female is also the symbol for copper. Copper is a natural antibacterial and is highly durable, meaning it can be sustained through copious amounts of great stress. It is exceptionally conductive and used in most types of electrical needs. Because it is soft and malleable, there is at least some copper contained in all gold production.