The sign “Woman and Man” is a symbol of unity and opposition

From ancient times to the present day

For a long time, people have tried to reflect the feminine and masculine essence with the help of special symbols. It is worth noting that such images conveyed the distinctive features of the sexes, as well as their unity. The most common signs of the masculine and feminine principles include “Yin and Yang”, as well as the symbolism of Mars and Venus. Each of them has its own history and designation.

The sign “Woman and Man” is an emblem of two completely opposite principles: this is the Moon, water and earth for the feminine essence, and the Sun, heat, fire for the masculine. The masculine symbolizes the creative, social and active principle, and the feminine symbol is the personification of soft, passive power connected with nature.

Dragon (serpent)

The source of this symbol, apparently, was the bones of large dinosaurs that people found in the ground.

Since the earth was part of the realm of female symbols of the Mother-Matter, dragons and other (no longer fictional) reptiles became an attribute of the feminine principle. Male gods or male heroes always fight with snake dragons: Marduk and Tiamat (mother) in the form of a dragon, Gilgamesh and Humbaba (woman - woman), Ra and Apep, Zeus and Typhon, Apollo and Python, Perseus and Gorgon, Perseus and the sea monster, Hercules (Hercules) and the Lernaean Hydra, Jason and the dragon (who guarded the fleece), Thor (Taur - bull) and the serpent Jormungandr (gad), Beowulf and Grendel's mother, St. George and the serpent, Siegfried and Fafnir and other numerous snakes and snake fighters.

Marduk and Tiamat

Ashtoreth (sister (wife) of Baal) and the serpent. Modern animation

Marduk defeats Tiamat

Tiamat

Thor (Taur - bull) and the serpent Jormungandr

St. George and the Serpent

Siegfried and Fafnir

Apollo and Python

Gilgamesh and Humbaba

The struggle of a male god or hero with a dragon symbolizes the struggle of the male spiritual light principle with the female material dark principle, and the victory of the former over the latter. Thus, on the one hand, the victory of the spirit over matter, the spiritual over the material, is stated, on the other hand, the divinity of the male characters is emphasized, because only those who have divine power can cope with such creatures that seemed to people looking with trepidation at the bones ancient gigantic lizards.

In the epics of various European nations, dragons are associated with treasures (gold, precious stones), which are the most vivid expression and extreme symbol of material wealth and material wealth. Many fairy tales have retained the motif when the hero (male spiritual principle) defeats the dragon (female material principle), but, having taken possession of its treasures, turns into a dragon. That is, it degrades from (male) spirit into (female) matter.

The dragon is also associated with the dungeon and caves, which are feminine in material essence (matter - stone, earth) and in symbolism (a cave is the womb of a mountain).

Perhaps the meaning of the serpent-dragon symbol goes even deeper. The word gad (reptile) is consonant with the name of the brother of Zeus and the ruler of the underworld of the dead Hades (Hades), with whom the word “hell” (the underworld of eternal torment of sinners) is etymologically connected.

It is characteristic that fire (a male symbol) appeared relatively recently in the underground (female) world of the dead. For example, in Greek myths, the kingdom of Hades still lies in darkness and gloom, in which the shadows of dead people wander. Five rivers flow there (Lethe, Styx, Acheron, Kokytos and Phlegethon), which means that in the absence of solar heat, it is cold and damp there. In other words, the Greeks actually painted an image of mountain caves that served as sanctuaries for people in ancient times.

It is also possible that the ability of dragons to spew fire also arose relatively recently and initially water dragon snakes did not have the ability to spit fire, which is not a female, but a male symbol. For example, in the myth of Marduk and Tiamat it is said that it was Marduk who possessed the fiery breath, and not the dragon-like snake Tiamat.

Adam, Eve and the serpent

In light of the above connections of ancient symbols, the biblical myth of Adam and Eve has a completely understandable reading. Adam (masculine) is defeated by the feminine (Eve and the serpent). For this, God (the masculine principle) takes the defeated Adam, whose spirit has degraded, in which the material (feminine) principle has won, out of the spiritual paradise. Adam and Eve enter the material world. In order for a person (descendant of Adam and Eve) to return to heaven, he must reject the material and strive for the spiritual.

Thus, the Fall is the victory of the material over the spiritual, and the return to God is the victory of the spiritual over the material.

God and Adam in the myth personify the masculine principle, and the serpent and Eve represent the feminine. Therefore, the iconography of Satan often includes female attributes and organs. This emphasizes that the category of Satan belongs to the material (maternal) or feminine nature.

Among the folklore images that are more familiar to us, we can cite the example of Baba Yaga and the Serpent Gorynych. The attribute of Baba Yaga is a stupa (a mortar for grain is a female symbol), the Serpent Gorynych (female symbols: a serpent, a mountain, a cave).

The modern myth about reptilians (Draconians), within the framework of David Icke's conspiracy theory, is also located within the ancient archetype of the confrontation between dragons and heroes. Evil reptilians are terrorizing people, and the world is waiting for heroes to appear who will free humanity from reptilian tyranny.

In addition to the reptilians, the modern extreme negative interpretation of the feminine principle is manifested in the cult of Santa Muerte, as well as in the ecofascism of Mother Earth.

Dollar symbol - serpent on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

In the sign of dollars, the main international (global) money, one can also see the symbolism of the snake as the feminine principle (mother - mammon) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, fatal for Adam and Eve. For cabalists, this serpent is Lilith, which has its source in the ancient female Mesopotamian deity Belit (Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte) - the image of the most ancient pre-literate stereotheistic Great Mother.

Male and female signs

The first symbols of Mars and Venus appeared during the times of ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Well-known and recognizable signs were taken from astrology, and they gained popular scientific fame thanks to the botanist Carl Linnaeus. Of course, he used them to indicate the sex of plants. Almost from that moment on, the symbol of a man and a woman began to be used as a sign of gender difference between the sexes.

The symbols of masculine and feminine principles are absolutely opposite, however, they have similar features. At their core, they in some way resemble binary oppositions of opposite types, such as life and death, up and down, moon and sun, earth and water, right and left, etc. They can be collected into a single whole and characterize the masculine principle as the south or east, the Sun and the landowner. Also suitable for this definition are the following concepts: day, house, elder, strong, male. But the female essence will be the complete opposite - west and north, female, younger, weaker, Moon, etc.

Fire

Fire is one of the few substances that move against gravity. In addition to fire, smoke and steam move upward, the root cause of which is also fire. In accordance with the role of fire in the ritual practices of sacrifice and burial, descriptions of which have reached us, people in ancient times perceived fire as a substance through which communication with the divine world was carried out.

Primitively speaking, fire sends something or someone from earth to heaven. In more complex terms, fire transfers something from the material world to the spiritual (divine) other world. Fire is the oldest one-way mail - from man to gods (spirits) or to God.

For example, the objects being transferred (transferred) can be plants, fruits, bread, livestock or people. During the times of polytheism, this ritual was brought to the point of absurdity, in particular by the Phoenicians, who sent the most precious things to the gods: their children and the elderly. Jewish monotheism in Palestine and more humane (than Phoenician) Roman polytheism in the Mediterranean, as a result of centuries of struggle, put an end to Phoenician ritual chaos

Fire as a hot, dry, active and light substance is an attribute of the masculine principle. But after the terrible Mediterranean cults associated with sacrifices in fire were defeated, fire takes on a negative connotation and symbolically moves to the “female half” - hell (the underground region of the world of the dead) becomes fiery, and dragons have the ability to spew flames.

Apparently, the same fate befell the horns as a symbol of the divine. They, as an attribute of Baal (the bull), disgusting for monotheism, for which children were burned, and the Golden Calf (the same Baal), acquired a negative connotation. Now horns are often perceived as a symbol of Satan, who opposes God. Horned is today one of the epithets of the enemy of God.

Lightning

Fire is associated with lightning, which comes from the sky and often creates fire on earth. Therefore, lightning is also an established attribute of male deities. Lightning is associated with electricity, which replaces fire as a source of heat and light for modern people.

Mars and Venus

The Venus symbol is displayed as a closed circle with a cross pointing downwards. Sometimes another name is found - “mirror of Venus”. This name was given to the symbol because of its external similarity. This sign represents beauty, femininity, warmth, care and love.

The male sign - the symbol of Mars - is the same closed circle, but with an arrow pointing upward. If you imagine a dial, the hand should point to two o'clock - this is a characteristic designation of the power of the god of war. “Shield and Spear of Mars” is another name for the male sign.

The combination of these two signs has several interpretations. First of all, it is worth noting one of the most common interpretations is the embodiment of heterosexuality, that is, love between representatives of different sexes. It is worth noting that this symbolism is also used to denote bisexuality, only in this case the signs can be positioned differently (today there is no single designation).

Interesting fact: transsexuals also have their own symbols - a male and female sign overlaps each other, forming a circle with a cross and an arrow. The connection between a male and female sign does not have a clearly defined interpretation. So, this symbol can mean love, friendship, strong affection and passion.

Woman and man sign

Since ancient times, people have tried to convey the essence of a man and a woman with various drawings. The images expressed both existing differences and unity. The most famous signs of the masculine and feminine principles are “Yin” and “Yang”, as well as the symbol of Mars and Venus. Each of them has its own history and specific meaning.

Female and male signs

The first symbols of Mars and Venus appeared during the times of Greek and Roman mythology. The signs known to many were taken from astrology, and they became so widespread thanks to the botanist Carl Linnaeus. He used them to distinguish the sexes of plants. It was from this time that these symbols began to be called gender symbols, that is, defining gender.

Female Venus sign

depicted as a circle with a cross pointing downwards. It is also called the “mirror of Venus”; according to assumptions, the name appeared due to its external similarity. This sign symbolizes femininity, beauty and love.

Male sign of Mars

depicted as a circle with an arrow pointing upward. It is important that the hand, when viewed on the hour dial, points to two o'clock and signifies the power of the god of war. This symbol is also called the “shield and spear of Mars”, given its appearance. The combination of the masculine and feminine signs has several meanings. The union of Venus and Mars embodies heterosexuality, that is, love between representatives of different sexes. To denote bisexuality, different combinations can be used, there is no specific meaning to this day. Transsexuals have their own symbol - the sign of the feminine and masculine principles are superimposed on each other, that is, the ring has both a spear and a cross. The combination of two male and two female signs separately does not have a clear definition and can mean both love and friendship.

Signs of a woman and a man - “Yin-Yang”

The philosophy of ancient China indicates that in the surrounding world there is an interaction between the feminine and masculine principles all the time. “Yin” is a feminine symbol and it contains concepts such as submission and passivity. The opposite is the male symbol “Yang”, which represents positivity and development. Chinese philosophy states that any object located in the Universe can be described using the energy of the feminine and masculine principles. All living beings on earth, as well as planets, stars and zodiac signs, are subject to the Yin-Yang laws. Each of the existing zodiacs has its own polarity. The Zodiac begins with a male sign, and then there is an alternation.

Most men and women fully support the Yin-Yang theory. For example, representatives of the stronger sex love to demonstrate their superiority, but the fair sex is endowed with excellent intuition and gentleness. As with every theory, there are exceptions. In the modern world, you can often find women who have a masculine character; all this is connected with the individual characteristics of the human psyche. It is impossible to change this, no matter how many people would like it, since these traits are innate. An ideal couple is considered to be a union in which a man with a pronounced “Yang” and a woman with “Yin” are connected. In such a couple, the man will be the leader and breadwinner, and his companion will be the keeper of the hearth. Interestingly, there are unions in which everything happens the other way around, and such couples are also strong and meet quite often. If there are people in a relationship for whom the same principle prevails, then the union will be quite difficult and, most likely, short-lived. There is only one way out in such a situation - the distribution of roles, where each partner must be responsible for a certain sphere of influence.

Masculine and feminine principles in the Yin-Yang symbol

The philosophy of Ancient China says: almost everything in the world occurs under the influence of the feminine and masculine principles. "Yin" is a feminine symbol that represents passivity and submission. The male sign – “Yang”, in turn, acts from the position of intensive development and activity. The laws of Chinese philosophy can describe any phenomenon or event in nature, an object or an action, from the point of view of the masculine and feminine principles. All living beings on planet Earth, as well as the heavenly bodies, are subject to the Yin-Yang laws. For example, zodiac signs begin with a male symbol, and then they alternate.

Gender in the modern world

Most representatives of the strong and weak half of humanity fully share the ideas of Chinese philosophy. For example, almost every man likes to demonstrate his superiority, remarkable strength, and even the smallest victory in the form of a repaired stool. Women, in turn, are distinguished by their gentleness and well-developed intuition. However, in the modern world there are more and more women who have a strong and strong-willed character, that is, they have masculine characteristics. Or, conversely, a man’s character is characterized by excessive softness and even cowardice. These are, of course, individual characteristics that have developed under the influence of psychological character traits and life circumstances. Nevertheless, the most successful and lasting union is considered to be the one in which the sign “Woman and Man” is harmoniously combined.

Gender symbols

Symbols of male and female essence have varied interpretations in different religions and cultures. Moreover, there are some not very common theories that offer a completely different interpretation of universally recognizable signs. However, circles with an arrow and a cross still remain characteristic and the most famous. The sign “Woman and Man” is the simultaneous embodiment of difference and unity, a symbol of love between representatives of the opposite sex and a sign of their immediate essence. Gender symbols are simple signs that hide a very deep meaning of male and female essence.

Masculine sign

Among other primates, the human penis is the largest. This is believed to be due to the general increase in sexuality in the process of evolution. She helped maintain relationships in a polygamous family (men died more often).

Bonobo monkeys also have very large genitals and high sexuality. Sex serves as a form of communication and friendly behavior for them.

In some societies (eg North Africa), the penis was further lengthened by regular stretching. Nature made the penis a natural symbol of procreation, pleasure, genital aggression, expulsion of moisture, vulnerability, individual smell, an indicator of sexual desire, and a sign of the masculine gender.

In great apes, displaying an erection is an offensive signal that conveys threat and dominance.

The straightened posture of a person turned the center of his body into a constant source of “genital aggression.” Even the most naked savages tried to muffle it by masking their groin with an apron, a phallocrypt , or at least a belt.

In ritual and mystical culture, the phallus was an attribute of the God of the Lower World, who was thought of as the father of humanity, bestowing fertility on all living things. He was often depicted as a Blacksmith, armed with a club (or a hammer-tool derived from it), a “thunder stick” and other phallic instruments. Allegorical symbols of the phallus were the serpent spear, arrow and bow, thumb, mace, hammer. There is an etymological unity in the series fingers-phallos-bulla-mace. Words like taj. nar-angust and Skt. angusta 'thumb' (lit. "male finger"), Lat. anguis 'snake' are cognate with the single *angk (hook). Among the Slavs, the root kov unites a single nest of “kuznetsk” words: forge, koval, blacksmith, kuy, cue (hammer, striking stick with a thickening), and at the same time the taboo designation of the phallus. Gestures that retain phallic symbolism express aggression and are considered indecent. Picking your nose, figs, “faks”, “vo!”, pointing your finger and sticking out your little finger will earn you a bad mark for behavior or even a black eye.

Natural personifications of the phallus were endowed with healing and stimulating powers: roots (especially ginseng), onions, garlic, mushrooms, the horn of both unicorns - the rhinoceros and the narwhal whale. A very realistic symbol of the phallus was a turtle, whose oldest sculptural image from Malaya Syya dates back to 35 thousand years BC. e. There are known myths about the turtle holding the earth, about its wisdom, cunning, obscenity and the curse of ugliness imposed on it by the Almighty (the motive for the overthrow of the God of the Underworld). The image of the phallus was also personified by a snake, a goose, and among plants - oak and acorn. Different peoples practiced rituals of trauma to the penis : removing or piercing the foreskin, tearing off the skin, cutting in half, amputation, twisting, etc. The meaning of circumcision is to simulate death. The God of the Lower World (the phallic lord of death) was offered a small sacrifice - a part of the body, instead of the whole body. There was also a physiological meaning: neutralization of olfactory aggression. Scientists have discovered that in animals, the glands of the foreskin secrete pheromones that stimulate aggression in males. If you amputate, aggression decreases, crowding is better tolerated. Hygienic conveniences, as an obvious goal, and suppression of aggression, as a hidden one, led to the widespread use of such amputation in people. Huge masses of the population of Africa, America, Europe, and South-West Asia were circumcised. In a cultural context, the semantics of the penis is shrouded in paradoxes and prejudices. Among all the objects in the world, it is considered the most disgusting, frightening, immoral, incompatible with decency, subject to concealment. The very presence of a penis in a person is sinful and even criminal. In some cases, the lack of cover on it is in itself regarded as a grave crime.

Why? Maybe, like a naked saber, the penis is a murder weapon that brings pain and death? Not at all - it is a source of higher values: pleasure, new life, family. A man who wraps a fellow soldier's intestines around a bayonet or picks at his own stomach with a saber is considered a hero. And the one who caresses the penis embodies obscenity. No one would call a man who repeatedly slashes children's pussy with a knife a villain or a maniac: he enjoys honor and respect. Another, who once touched his lips to the trunk of a mature, but legally underage youth, is sent to jail for decades. Genital prejudices in a civilized and rational society are no less than in a primitive society. Thus, in biblical doctrine, the male body is considered the most perfect creation and even the likeness of God. And for some reason it is considered the most repulsive among all objects in the world. Displaying male nudity on the mass screen is criminal, and is only possible if the middle part of the figure is covered. The first reason for prejudice is “primate”: people have to persistently suppress all symbols of aggression (including genital ones). The second reason is “superstitious”: the penis is an important mystical node of the body, so contemplation or demonstration leads to a magical interaction. In other words, this is a kind of magic wand that can be used to cast the evil eye or cause damage. The third reason is “feminist”: having a penis is politically incorrect towards a female audience. The fourth reason is “gerontocratic”: a large and functional penis infringes on the self-esteem of older people (the most influential in society). There are many more reasons, but these are already enough to anathematize the penis and forget about it forever!:)

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