The Virgin Mary is not seen only as the epitome of motherhood and femininity — she is also represented within the Church as a woman of great strength. So common is the image of Mary as powerful protector that her strength is often evoked by young men going into battle. People have felt that if they dedicated battles to her, she would help them to be victorious. One of the classic battle images associated with the Virgin Mary has to do with her battle with snakes or the dragon (which can symbolize the devil and temptation).

In Revelation 12, a woman groans in childbirth and a dragon waits for the child to be born, threatening to consume the child when he emerges from the womb. The woman seems to represent Mary, based on the description of the woman being clothed by the sun and with the moon at her feet. When the woman gives birth to a boy, the child is taken away to God and the woman flees into the wilderness, where she “has a place prepared by God” (Revelation 12:6). The child seems to represent Christ, because he is described as “a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 12:5). The image of this woman not being conquered by the dragon is similar to one that shows up frequently in Western art, in which the Virgin Mary conquers the serpent from Genesis 3, reversing the curse that resulted from Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit. In this art, instead of being seduced by the snake, Mary steps on it and conquers it. This image also serves as an example of the life of victory to which all Christians are called.