Mercury symbol

A horned circle above a cross — Mercury, and quicksilver.

Also known as: Quicksilver symbol, Hermes symbol, Horned circle symbol

Astrology & astronomyScientificHistorical & archaeologicalStandard profile

Meanings

Mercury's symbol is the Venus sign with a pair of horns added on top. Unusually, the planet and the metal share a name as well as a mark: quicksilver is called mercury precisely because of this correspondence.

Common modern usageVerified fact
Denotes the planet Mercury in astronomical notation.
Contexts: History
Historically documentedDocumented interpretation
Denoted quicksilver — the liquid metal now called mercury after this very association.
A record of what alchemists wrote, not a claim that the association holds. The planet–metal correspondences were a system of belief, and the chemistry they rest on is not sound.
Medieval and early modern alchemy · Contexts: History
Common modern usageTradition
Is held in astrological tradition to signify communication, intellect and exchange.
Recorded as what astrological tradition assigns, not as a finding. Symbolwise does not assert that any planet influences anything, and astrology has no empirical standing.
Contexts: History
Historically documentedDocumented interpretation
Is the one case in this batch where the correspondence survives in ordinary language: the metal is named after the planet, so the alchemical association is embedded in modern chemistry's vocabulary even though the reasoning behind it was abandoned.
Contexts: History

Visual description

A circle with a small upright cross beneath it and a crescent resting on top like a pair of horns.

Symmetry: vertical
Orientation: upright

Visually similar to: Venus symbol
Identical to the Venus symbol but for the crescent added above the circle.

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but multiple independent sources agree.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is defined by a current official standard, but multiple independent sources agree.

Sources

Astronomical symbols
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for the character's identity, its documented astronomical and alchemical use, and the fact that astrology assigns it a meaning. Never used to support the astrological claim itself, which is recorded as a tradition rather than a finding.
Planet symbols
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for the character's identity, its documented astronomical and alchemical use, and the fact that astrology assigns it a meaning. Never used to support the astrological claim itself, which is recorded as a tradition rather than a finding.
Unicode Code Chart: Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for the character's identity, its documented astronomical and alchemical use, and the fact that astrology assigns it a meaning. Never used to support the astrological claim itself, which is recorded as a tradition rather than a finding.
Alchemical symbol
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for the character's identity, its documented astronomical and alchemical use, and the fact that astrology assigns it a meaning. Never used to support the astrological claim itself, which is recorded as a tradition rather than a finding.

Last reviewed 2026-07-31

Part of

Planetary symbols and their older meanings

Help improve this page

Meanings

Common modern usageVerified fact

Denotes the planet Mercury in astronomical notation.

Contexts: History

Historically documentedDocumented interpretation

Denoted quicksilver — the liquid metal now called mercury after this very association.

A record of what alchemists wrote, not a claim that the association holds. The planet–metal correspondences were a system of belief, and the chemistry they rest on is not sound.

Medieval and early modern alchemy · Contexts: History

Common modern usageTradition

Is held in astrological tradition to signify communication, intellect and exchange.

Recorded as what astrological tradition assigns, not as a finding. Symbolwise does not assert that any planet influences anything, and astrology has no empirical standing.

Contexts: History

Historically documentedDocumented interpretation

Is the one case in this batch where the correspondence survives in ordinary language: the metal is named after the planet, so the alchemical association is embedded in modern chemistry's vocabulary even though the reasoning behind it was abandoned.

Contexts: History

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but multiple independent sources agree.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is defined by a current official standard, but multiple independent sources agree.

Sources

Astronomical symbols
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for the character's identity, its documented astronomical and alchemical use, and the fact that astrology assigns it a meaning. Never used to support the astrological claim itself, which is recorded as a tradition rather than a finding.
Planet symbols
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for the character's identity, its documented astronomical and alchemical use, and the fact that astrology assigns it a meaning. Never used to support the astrological claim itself, which is recorded as a tradition rather than a finding.
Unicode Code Chart: Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for the character's identity, its documented astronomical and alchemical use, and the fact that astrology assigns it a meaning. Never used to support the astrological claim itself, which is recorded as a tradition rather than a finding.
Alchemical symbol
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for the character's identity, its documented astronomical and alchemical use, and the fact that astrology assigns it a meaning. Never used to support the astrological claim itself, which is recorded as a tradition rather than a finding.

Last reviewed 2026-07-31

Meanings

Visual description

Related & commonly confused symbols

Meanings

Visual description

Related & commonly confused symbols