Mars has long been a source of fascination. Beginning in the 17th century, astronomers used telescopes to observe it closely and discover its polar ice caps.
Romans transformed Mars from an ancient god of war into one who represented virility and civic pride, attributing two small moons – Phobos and Deimos – as his guardians.
Egyptians
History shows us that Mars has long been an object of fascination, drawing inspiration from its fiery color to inspire ideas of war and death, while its possibility as home for advanced civilizations spawned fears about alien invasions that are still vividly felt across cultures today. Such fears shaped many creation myths and beliefs about afterlife beyond Earth.
Egyptians believed in many different gods who ruled over various aspects of nature and Earth. Each god had distinct abilities and contributed to various natural phenomena like star and sun movements. Furthermore, the Egyptians held that spirits of those who had died occupied bodies on Earth so they could remain connected with their loved ones after death.
Egyptian myths feature numerous depictions of Seth and his son Horus as they battled each other over the years in an effort to gain power and take revenge for Seth’s murder by taking control of Egypt themselves. Their battle even reached heaven itself where justice would be decided by Ma’at; she would weigh hearts of dead individuals before making decisions as to who would receive eternal joy in the afterlife.
Under Akhenaten’s reign as an Egyptian Pharaoh who attempted to reform their religion, some temples were dedicated to Aten – the sun god. Unfortunately for Akhenaten and his experiment, his religious experiment failed and ancient Egyptians quickly returned to their old beliefs.
In the 1800s, Mars became increasingly appealing as telescopes brought it closer and human flight enabled interstellar travel. 19th-century astronomers believed they could see dried canals on Mars and suggested intelligent beings once resided there; such ideas later provided inspiration for modern science fiction works.
Mars was revered by Romans as both a god of war and protector of warriors; however, unlike its Greek counterpart he became more synonymous with agriculture, civilized society, vengeance and sexuality – an aspect still represented by his stylized shield and spear symbol still used as the logo for United States Marine Corps and male sex symbolism today. Romans celebrated Mars each spring and fall by hosting festivals honoring him corresponding with both agricultural harvesting seasons as well as military campaign seasons.
Hindus
Mars has long been associated with mythologies and religions around the world. Egyptians called it Her Desher (red one) in relation to Sekhmet, their goddess of war; Greeks named Ares after it – which the Romans adopted after conquering Greece in 146 BC while also altering his name to better suit their conceptions of military power and victory.
Hindu mythology associates Mars with Kartikeya, the war god. Mangala emerged to fulfill a prophecy that predicted gods would be threatened by an invading demon who could only be defeated through Kartikeya’s powerful armies.
Mars, often considered the God of War, rules over the 2nd, 6th and 10th houses and natives with strong Mars presence have great courage and willpower when confronting challenges; these individuals may make excellent commanders/leaders; they have quick decision-making abilities. Furthermore, they could find employment as soldiers within defense industries or be dealers in corals/rubies/red articles such as corals. Furthermore they could become skilled hunters/gunners.
Mars can bring auspicious results when in its own sign or in conjunction with Venus. But if Mars enters an unfavorable house, it can cause serious issues for natives; stomach or urinary tract-related issues and accidents could arise as a result. People with weak Mars could even experience mental difficulties.
Deification of planetary bodies like Mars has its origins in Vedic texts and traditions, as well as in Zoroastrian and Hellenistic mythologies, eventually giving way to Indian astrology’s concept of the Navagraha system. Mars remains an integral part of Indian astrology and culture today, featuring heavily among beliefs, rituals and celestial attributes; though its effect on individuals depends heavily upon human behavior and decision-making.
Mayans
Mayan mythology identified Mars as the god of war, associated with fire, blood and red hues. They believed that when Mars reached its apogee it shone bright red lights into the sky while occasionally traveling backwards in its orbit – which is known as retrograde motion.
The Mayans observed and predicted the movements of Mars, Venus, and other planets by creating tables which predicted their appearances; some are still used today! They also developed charts which plotted Mars over time – these could then be used to calculate eclipses as well. They believed the Milky Way to be an invisible river system.
As with other Neolithic cultures, Mayans believed in an endless cycle of creation and destruction. At the end of each time cycle, gods destroyed and then rebuilt the world via collapsing skies or flood.
Mayans were well-versed in star and planet knowledge, leading them to develop an intricate creation myth called Popol Vuh. According to this creation story, initially there was nothing but an empty space or void; two gods named Plumed Serpent from heaven and Hurricane from below then realized they could fill this emptiness through conversation: whatever they spoke would become reality.
Two pieces of evidence support the theory that Mars traveled from Mediterranean and South Asian regions to America: (1) its shared root with Persian words for bad or evil (ma al); and (2) the presence of an early Mayan deity named Cizin or Kuisin who rules over an underground purgatory where souls of those killed in battle or during childbirth spend time before returning back into life on earth.
Mayan calendar makers designed their 260-day Tzolkin calendar based on Mars’ synodic period, breaking it into twenty 13-day weeks and then concatenating these 13-day periods to form 52 haab cycles that made up one calendar round; their interlocking patterns linked the Tzolk’in with Haab cycles seamlessly.
Romans
The Romans, like other cultures throughout history, saw Mars as an auspicious symbol of war and aggression. While borrowing much of their mythology from Ancient Greek sources such as Socrates or Homer, the Romans also developed some original tales surrounding their red planet – which they named after their god of war Ares – and regarded it as an embodiment of power that helped expand their empire.
Mars is often associated with fire and heat, given that it is the brightest red object in the night sky. Due to this fiery quality, Mars quickly became a symbol of power and strength – something it remains to this day in astrology where Mars can either bring success or failure for those whose charts feature it.
Like Egyptians, Romans were more focused on military power than fertility. Early worship of war god Mars over Jupiter reflected how integral warfare was to their city-state model; his violent nature inspired rage and destruction which the ancient Romans worshiped him for as protector of city borders and frontiers while celebrating him through numerous festivals related to battle.
As well as being seen as the god of war, Romans also venerated Mars as their patron deity of soldiers, believing he would reward bravery with victory in battle. Over time however, as Rome expanded, Mars gradually lost favor with the general population in favor of Minerva who represented military strategy and tactical warfare.
Mars was often depicted without clothing, perhaps to symbolize his raw and unadorned forces that he represented. A god of primal passion, Mars was worshiped at important cults dedicated to Bellona and Nerio. Mars was particularly active during March; during its festival of Equus October members of Salii priesthood dedicated to Jupiter, Mars, Quirinus would wear old-fashioned armour and dance around while singing praise hymns to their god of war – an ancient priesthood dedicated to Jupiter, Mars Quirinus and Quirinus would celebrate him by dancing around wearing old-fashioned armour while singing praise hymns to their god of war – an event celebrated annually during March – March 14.