Scorpio meaning
Scorpio is the scorpion, the eighth sign of the zodiac. The constellation is ancient and large. The glyph ♏ looks like an M with an arrowed tail so it will not be confused with Virgo.
A scorpion. The glyph keeps the sting so you do not read it as Virgo.
Where it comes from
A scorpion in this part of the sky is Mesopotamian as well as Greek. Antares, the rival of Mars, is the red heart. Tropical Scorpio is a water sign, traditionally ruled by Mars. The claws were partly stolen by Libra, which is why the story of the figure and the thirty-degree sign are not the same size. The glyph’s sting is the scribe’s way of saying “this one wounds.”
Astrology
The sting is the mnemonic
Popular astrology kept the sting and made it a personality. The older sign is a place with a red star and a long body. You can prefer the personality. It is a modern use of an astronomical name.
Near this
Sources
- Antares in the scorpion; Greek and Mesopotamian scorpion constellations
Named when the entry depends on a text, a date, or a standard. Catalog numbers are not invented.
Your margin
Private. It stays in this browser and never joins the canon.
symbol.wiki, edited as Sigilla. Last reviewed 2 October 2026. A reading of public tradition, not a ruling.