Mars

Mars and Saturn are the two planets in astrological tradition that are considered "malefic." Mars, like the Roman god of the same name (the god Ares to the ancient Greeks), is representative of violent energy, aggressiveness, destruction, hostility, and war. According to astrological determinations, when Mars and Saturn achieve significant relationships in the heavens, bad things are certain to occur on earth. A conjunction of Jupiter, the planet of health, with Mars and Saturn in the sign of Aquarius in 1345 heralded the onset of the Black Death that decimated Europe. The conjunction of Mars and Saturn in Pisces in 1496 marked the appearance of syphilis on the European continent.

In the Middle Ages, Christian scholars interpreting astrological symbols deemed those with Mars in their sign to be highly susceptible to demonic influences. (Yes, Soul Ember has Mars as his astrological sign. This is why I decided to do an entry about my astrological sign, to forewarn my fellow blog author Ashen). When the god Mars later became equated with the Master of Animals, the horned god of the North, he was also identified as Silvanus, a woodland god, very much like Pan. The horned god became synonymous with Satan in the eyes of the church fathers, the god of the witches, werewolves, and other shapeshifters.

Sources: Gaskell, G.A. Dictionary of All Scriptures and Myths. Avenel, NJ: Gramercy Books, 1981.