Signs and symbols play an undeniable role in everyday experience. In fact, symbolism has always played a vital role in visual communication, from the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt to the icons of modern computer software. The mysticism that often shrouds symbols is intensified as it adopts a variety of meanings through the course of time. In some cases the same symbol refers to a metal, a planet, and gender. Two such symbols are [female sign] and [male sign], representing the metals copper and iron, respectively. In the search to find a satisfactory explanation for the manifold significance of the symbols [female sign] and [male sign], ancient metallurgists are shown to have influenced not only the culture of ancient Egypt but also the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome.