I know at some point in your life, you have looked at a Volvo logo and though to yourself (Or maybe aloud), “Is that the male symbol?”.  To that I will say, hold on, lets flash back to 1927 when Volvo birthed it’s first car out of parent company SKF.  At some point its possible you have heard the name ‘Volvo’ comes from the Latin phrase ‘I roll’.  That comes from it’s SKF family ties.  SKF has been making bearings for ages, and Volvo started as a subsidiary of the company way back before WWII.  SKF already owned the trademark and when some of the suits there wanted to start a car company, they used the trade name already made, Volvo AB.

As for the logo, calling it the male symbol is at most slightly inaccurate.  The symbol goes back well into the ancient realm, representing both Mars (the god of war, carrying a sword and shield), and Iron (one of the seven alchemical metals, and a prime material for building weapons at the time).  I mentioned it was old right?  Mars of course circles back to the whole male symbol thing.  By associating it with the strength, durability, and safety of iron, Volvo was christened with the ability to run for half a million miles or more, while simultaneously protecting your family from rogue moose attacks.

So is the Volvo logo a male symbol?  Yes and no, it’s a matter of association.  However, when you are describing to your mates why your car has a ‘male symbol’ on the front, be sure to let them know that it is actually the symbol for War and Iron.  It sounds much cooler.