The eight-pointed Star of Inanna or Star of Ishtar (Arabic: نجمة عشتار , najmat eshtar) is a most common symbol of the Sumerian goddess (of sex, war, justice, and political power, in that order) Inanna and her Semitic equivalent Ishtar/Astarte. Because of the association with the planet Venus, the symbol is also known as the Star of Venus.
♉ (Taurus) is the second astrological sign in the Western zodiac. The Sun is in this sign between 21 April and 21 May.
The symbol ♉ looks very much like the Greek letter α on its side (and vice versa) and most likely has the same origin, that is, an Egyptian hieroglyph of an ox’s head, 𓃾. Juan Eduardo Cirlot provides an alternative (or complimentary) explanation in his Dictionary of Symbols:
the fact that the sign of Taurus corresponds to the number two relates it to the principle of duality composed of the masculine (Viraj, or Yang) and the feminine (Vac, or Yin). There is also a morphological relationship between the bull, on account of its head and horns, and the waxing and waning aspects of the moon, which is further evidence of the bull’s symbolic function of invigoration, at least in the sublunary sphere. The sign of Taurus governs the throat and voice, and is in turn dominated by Venus.
♎ (Libra) is the seventh astrological sign in the Western zodiac, ruled by the planet Venus. Just like the Gemini and Aquarius, it is an air sign. The Sun is in this sign between 23 September and 22 October.
The symbol ♎ looks like underscored upper-case letter Ω (Omega), but most probably has nothing to do with it. According to one source,
The symbol for Libra represents the scales of a balance, but it also shows the setting Sun in the horizon. There are many views on the symbol of Libra, but the most revealing one of all is the view of it as an obstacle that needs to be overcome. The lower line of the symbol represents the earthly, rational approach that has no obstacles on its way, but the higher line that reaches for the sky seems to be a huge hill to be crossed in order to reach the other side of the balance.
“The mirror of Venus” ♀ is an astrological and astronomical symbol representing the planet Venus.
The planet was named after Venus, the Roman goddess of sex, love, beauty, fertility and prosperity. Her Greek counterpart was Aphrodite. In alchemical tradition, Venus was associated with copper.
In many Romance languages, the word for Friday originates from Latin Veneris dies, i.e. “day of Venus” (divendres, vendredi, venerdì, viernes, vineri); Venus even found her way to Breton and Welsh (Gwener). In Germanic laguages, this day (fredag, Freitag, Friday, vrijdag) became connected with Freyja and/or Frigg, even it is not clear whether they were the same or two different goddesses.
According to Wikipedia, the mediaeval symbol for Venus did not have a horizontal stroke, which was added later to form a Christian cross, while “the idea that the symbol represents the goddess’ hand mirror dates to the 19th century”. In biology, medicine and genealogy, ♀ symbolises the female sex; in sociology and gender politics, the female gender.
More photos related to mirrors, copper and sea glass @ Shutterstock.
