What Does Mars (Merih) Mean in the Yıldızname?

In many Yıldızname tables, a single word sits next to the name Merih: nahs, "ill-omened". Many people feel a flicker of unease when they learn that their sign or their name is linked to Mars. Yet the tradition's view of Merih is far subtler than one word. In this article we look at the place of Mars in the Yıldızname (star chart) tradition, what its title "the lesser malefic" really describes, its two faces in Aries and Scorpio, Tuesday and the Mars hours. Our central claim is simple: Mars is not an unlucky star but an untamed force.

The Red Traveller of the Sky

Classical cosmology places the seven wandering stars in spheres rising from the Earth: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Mars sits in the fifth sphere, just above the Sun and below Jupiter. Its reddish light, which makes it easy to pick out in the night sky, also gave its traditional identity its colour.

When the qualities that the Abjad and Yıldızname tradition attributes to Mars are placed side by side, a coherent picture appears:

• Nature: hot and dry, close to the temperament of fire.
• Metal: iron. The sword, the shield and the iron of the plough are counted among its symbols.
• Colour: red and the deep shades of crimson.
• Field of meaning: courage, effort, struggle, competition, protecting and drawing boundaries.
• Associated occupations: soldiering, blacksmithing, work with fire and metal, physically demanding work.

Some traditional accounts link Mars with the idea of celâl: majesty, severity, power making itself felt. Celâl is not a negative word in itself; it is the other pan of the scale that balances cemâl, beauty and gentleness. For that reason the sharpness of Mars is seen not as a flaw to be removed but as a force to be balanced.

"Nahs-ı Asgar": Unlucky, or Untamed?

In the tradition, Jupiter is called sa'd-ı ekber (the greater fortune), Venus sa'd-ı asgar (the lesser fortune), Saturn nahs-ı ekber (the greater malefic) and Mars nahs-ı asgar (the lesser malefic). These names look like verdicts at first glance, but the classical logic is different: the planets counted as "malefic" are those that carry one of their qualities to excess. In Saturn the excess is cold and weight; in Mars it is heat and sharpness.

So the difficulty of Mars is like the difficulty of overheated iron. Iron without direction burns, breaks and cuts; given direction, it becomes a plough, a hinge, a bridge. That is why it is more accurate to translate "lesser malefic" not as a sentence of fate but as this: a hard, sharp energy that needs direction. In the tradition no planet condemns a person's life on its own, and the word "asgar", lesser, is itself a reminder that this hardness is measured and manageable.

One Iron, Two States: Aries and Scorpio

In the Yıldızname, Mars rules two signs: Aries in the fire triplicity and Scorpio in the water triplicity. That one planet should be at home in two such opposite elements can seem surprising. An image from the blacksmith's forge explains the pairing well.

Aries is iron fresh from the forge, glowing hot. It shines, gives off heat, is ready to take shape and wants to be useful at once. Here the power of Mars faces outward: starting, stepping forward, fighting in the open.

Scorpio is iron plunged into water and hardened. Smiths call this quenching: when red-hot metal enters the water it looks extinguished from the outside, yet inside it has turned into hard, resilient steel. In Scorpio the power of Mars faces inward: perseverance, endurance, a quiet will that does not give up easily.

Same planet, same courage; one raises its voice, the other sets its jaw. Detailed portraits of Aries and Scorpio appear in our separate articles; what matters here is to see that Mars does not fit into a single mould.

The Mars Temperament: Two Sides of the Medal

The bright side

• Courage that does not retreat in hard moments, and a protective reflex
• A willingness to take on what others postpone and shoulder heavy loads
• Refusing to stay silent in the face of injustice, being able to draw lines
• Drive that does not shy away from competition and can lock onto a goal

The shadow side

• Sudden anger and harsh words; outbursts regretted later
• Impatience, a tendency to settle every matter through confrontation
• Using strength to control rather than to protect
• Energy without a channel turning into restlessness and scattered effort

Look closely and the items on both lists grow from the same root. Courage and anger, effort and ambition, protecting and controlling are the same fire flowing in different directions.

A Short Story: The Same Fire, Two Hearths

Imagine two friends who grew up on the same street, Kerem and Tolga. Since childhood both have been restless, unable to bear injustice, always the first to say "I'll do it". The drive typical of Mars is strong in both.

Kerem finds a riverbed for this energy early on. He trains several days a week, volunteers for the difficult projects no one else at work wants, and when he notices his voice rising in an argument, he learns to leave the conversation until the next day. People know him as "the one you call when things get hard".

Tolga's energy finds no channel. It builds up in traffic, in meetings, at the family table, and spills over at the least expected moment. He leaves what he starts half-finished, because each new clash pushes the previous one aside. People know him as "the quarrelsome one".

The two friends share the same star; the difference comes not from the star but from the direction given to its power. That is the real warning behind the tradition calling Mars "nahs": the problem is not the presence of fire but the absence of a hearth.

Tuesday: The Day of Mars and the Order of the Hours

In the classical day–planet scheme each day of the week belongs to one of the wandering stars, and Tuesday is the day of Mars. In the calculation of the eşref (planetary) hours, the time from sunrise to sunset is divided into twelve; each part is one day-hour. For the night, the same is done from sunset to the next sunrise. The length of the hours therefore changes with the date and the city, so giving one fixed clock time for everyone would be wrong.

The first hour after sunrise belongs to the ruler of the day, which on Tuesday is Mars. The hours then follow the classical Chaldean order: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, and back to the start. Tuesday's day-hours run like this:

So on Tuesday the 1st and 8th hours of the day and the 3rd and 10th hours of the night fall to Mars. Mars hours are not limited to Tuesday: since the sequence turns without a break, every day of the week has hours that belong to Mars. What sets Tuesday apart is that Mars sets its first hour and its overall tone.

Caution in trade, opportunity in effort

The tradition is cautious about starting a new commercial venture, partnership or shop opening on a Tuesday. The reason is not that Tuesday is "bad" but the nature of trade itself: buying and selling need trust, agreement and continuity, while Mars is the star of rivalry, contention and sharp decisions. For beginnings that seek lasting abundance, the tradition prefers the days of the planets that stand for harmony and growth.

The same logic makes Mars hours valuable for other things. In the tradition they are considered fitting for work that calls for effort and courage:

• Tackling a hard, tiring task you have long put off
• Training or work that demands intense physical effort
• Standing up for a right, having a difficult conversation you have been postponing
• Focusing on preparation for a competition or an exam
• Firmly ending a habit you have decided to give up

In short, the tradition sees Mars not as useless but as a force to be used in the right place: not for ceremonially opening the shop door, but for pushing a heavy door open with your shoulder.

So, Is Mars in Your Name?

No general article can answer that. In the Yıldızname tradition a person's star comes not from the date of birth but from reading their own name together with their mother's name. For some, this reading brings Mars directly through Aries or Scorpio; for others, even when the sign belongs to another planet, the letters of the name carry a fire close to that of Mars.

Which star dominates you, whether it shows more of its bright or its shadow side in you, and into which areas your strength flows only become clear through a personal reading. The same question extends into time: which planet leads this year, and which months call for more care and patience? Letting the fire of Mars die out and letting it burn unchecked are both choices; finding the right hearth starts with knowing your fire.

This article offers general information based on the Abjad and Yıldızname tradition; it contains no definitive judgement, prophecy or guarantee. Labels such as "fortune" and "malefic" are traditional terms and pass no verdict on anyone's life. For important decisions, rely on your own judgement, relevant professionals and, in religious matters, trusted scholars.