Scorpio Symbol ♏: Vrishchik Rashi Sign with a Sting

The Scorpion and Orion: A Story Written in the Sky

In Greek myth the great hunter Orion boasted that he could kill any animal on Earth. A scorpion was sent to stop him, and its sting defeated him. Both were placed in the sky, but on opposite sides, so they would never meet again.

You can check this yourself. The constellation Orion is easy to see on winter evenings in India, and Scorpius is bright on summer and monsoon evenings. When one rises, the other is setting. It is one of the nicest examples of a myth that matches what the sky really does.

Antares, Jyeshtha and the Scorpion's Shape

Scorpius is one of the few constellations that truly looks like its creature: a long curved line of stars ending in a hooked tail. At its heart glows Antares, a reddish giant star. In the Indian nakshatra system Antares is linked with Jyeshtha, and the nearby nakshatras Anuradha and Mula also lie in this part of the sky.

Unicode calls ♏ "Scorpius", the name of the constellation, while astrology calls the sign Scorpio. Both refer to the same symbol.

Vrishchik Rashi Symbol: Names and Dates

So the Vrischika rashi symbol and the Scorpio rashi symbol are the same ♏. Western astrology places Scorpio from about 23 October to 21 November. The Vedic (sidereal) Sun is in Vrishchik from about 16 November to 15 December, roughly 23 to 24 days later. In India the rashi in a kundli is usually the Moon sign, so it may not match either. See all signs on our zodiac symbols page.

Scorpio Symbol in HTML, CSS and Word

If you build websites or blogs, here are the codes:

• HTML: ♏ gives ♏
• CSS content: \264F
• Emoji style in HTML: ♏️
• Scorpion emoji: 🦂 gives 🦂

For documents, there is no Alt code. In Word, type 264F and press Alt+X. On Windows press Win+. and search "Scorpio"; on Mac use Control+Command+Space. On Android and iPhone, search "scorpio" or "scorpion" in the emoji keyboard.

Do Not Mix Up ♏ and ♍

The Scorpio sign ♏ and the Virgo sign ♍ start the same way. The difference is at the end: Scorpio's tail shoots out as an arrow, Virgo's tail curls back in a loop. If you meant the maiden sign, see the Virgo symbol page. Interestingly, the arrow on ♏ is similar to the arrow on the Mars sign ♂, and Mars is Scorpio's traditional ruler.

Scorpio in Astrology Belief

Scorpio is a water sign and a fixed (sthira) sign. Its traditional ruling planet is Mars (Mangal); modern Western astrology adds Pluto. In astrology tradition, Scorpio is described as intense, private and determined. These are beliefs, not proven facts. Neighbours: Libra before and Sagittarius after. Other water signs: Cancer and Pisces.

Bio ideas: Rohan ♏ 🦂, ♏ quiet but sharp, 🖤 ♏ November.