The Wikipedia of symbology.

May 31, 2011 7:54 PM

There are symbols from Asia. Wiccan symbols. Symbols from Freemasonry, Christianity, and Native Americans. Explore the Symbol Dictionary.
posted by zardoz (27 comments total)

You don't know how many douche-tattoos you have just caused!
posted by hal_c_on at 8:14 PM on May 31, 2011 [8 favorites]

Nice, thanks for linking.
posted by New England Cultist at 8:22 PM on May 31, 2011

Contrary to popular belief, the Eye of Providence was used in the Great Seal of the United States many years before it became a Masonic symbol. The More You Know ≡≡≡۞
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:51 PM on May 31, 2011

There are cymbals from Asia.

But seriously, thanks for the post, a veritable feast!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:55 PM on May 31, 2011

Many of the hyperlinks are borked and none of this information is cited as being by anyone but the site's proprietor. Color me unimpressed.
posted by lumensimus at 9:04 PM on May 31, 2011

Yeah, he's made a lot of this stuff up, and hasn't completed the links yet.
posted by Curious Artificer at 9:12 PM on May 31, 2011

Wait, an entry on the Trinacria which doesn't mention the Isle of Man?

Yeah, even I knew that, and I'm pretty lame about a lot of this stuff.

Looks like someone bought a book of clip-art and decided to Make A Thing with it.
posted by hippybear at 9:26 PM on May 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

Blockquoth the welcome page:

This IS the original, authentic Visual Glossary of Religious Symbols published in 2001 and formerly hosted by About.com.

The not-quite-there hyperlinking bespeaks a slow migration from its old home.
posted by lumensimus at 9:30 PM on May 31, 2011

Quick, someone call a Harvard symbologist!
posted by zamboni at 9:33 PM on May 31, 2011 [3 favorites]

People no. What you're all looking for is Symbols.com.
posted by Mizu at 9:44 PM on May 31, 2011 [3 favorites]

The Adinkra page has some major differences with those at Adinkra.org.
posted by unliteral at 9:47 PM on May 31, 2011

If you're into videos about physics and astronomy there's also Sixty Symbols.
posted by howlingmonkey at 9:52 PM on May 31, 2011

There are cymbals from Asia.

(Sorry, I typed this comment in the heat of the moment.)
posted by hippybear at 9:56 PM on May 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

"The Wikipedia of symbology", except: it's not publicly editable, it doesn't cite sources, and it runs on a blogging engine.
posted by james.c.macaulay at 10:05 PM on May 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

This is going to be of great value to both the superstitious and the pretentiously superstitious. I hope that they include the symbols from my recently invented or recently co-opted religion. That allegedly magical Jewish guy with the beard and nightie that my grandparents like is a scam. I prefer the magical polar bear from 1961 with fabricated ancient origins or, failing that, the eastern philosophy that most people can perhaps grasp with a lifetime of study but which I can master after skimming three books and loudly proclaiming their effect on me.
posted by Mayor Curley at 10:08 PM on May 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

More cymbals from Asia.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:26 PM on May 31, 2011

I wish there was an easy 'in pop culture' section, so I can stop calling the lambda 'that Half-Life symbol'.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 12:34 AM on June 1, 2011

List of symbols

Symbolism Wiki
posted by nangar at 1:47 AM on June 1, 2011

Lots of cymbals
posted by nangar at 1:50 AM on June 1, 2011

I particularly adore the enticing Scientology ad.
posted by Hugobaron at 4:31 AM on June 1, 2011

The famous man looked at the red cup.
- Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code
posted by longbaugh at 4:48 AM on June 1, 2011

There are also cymbals in Aja.
posted by hippybear at 6:22 AM on June 1, 2011

There are also cymbals in Aja.

I had a feeling somebody was gonna do that!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:00 AM on June 1, 2011

Also came in here to reference Symbols.com - so, so much better.
posted by FatherDagon at 7:54 AM on June 1, 2011

Contrary to popular belief, the Eye of Providence was used in the Great Seal of the United States many years before it became a Masonic symbol

Cite? I believe the Master Mason degree (of which the all-seeing eye is an emblem) was adopted by the United Grand Lodge of England some time before 1750. That's not to defend the stupid "ZOMG Masonic symbols on the dollar bill" silliness, though. Rather, the all-seeing eye used to be a fairly universal shorthand symbol for God, not exclusive to the Freemasons or necessarily affiliated with anything. The Odd Fellows use the all-seeing eye too, but you never hear any tinfoil hat conspiracies about how their secret influence on US currency.
posted by usonian at 8:38 AM on June 1, 2011

about how their
posted by usonian at 8:53 AM on June 1, 2011

Cool ... but, Damn ... I wish people wouldn't hard-code column-widths like that.
posted by Twang at 1:03 PM on June 1, 2011