Ancient symbols of the peoples of the world and their meaning

Each culture of antiquity left behind a large number of characters. They arose as a way of depicting deities, supernatural and ordinary phenomena in the life of the people. Most often, the symbols were directly related to religion, through which the bearers of a particular culture learned and explained the world around them. Intricate images were used in various rituals. Many of them were solved by historians and archaeologists only after lengthy research.

Ancient Slavs

They are known for their love for different images. The ancient symbols of this people can be found on a vast territory from the Volga to Germany and the Balkans. Even before it was divided into tribal unions and groups, general drawings appeared in everyday life. This includes the symbols of Ancient Rus.

Great value in images played the Sun. There were several signs for him. For example, it was a carol. He was worn mainly by men who wanted to gain wisdom in battle and in this way. God Kolyada answered in the Slavic worldview for the constant renewal of the world and the victory of light over the darkness.

Odon-grass was used as a talisman against evil lower spirits. It was worn on clothes, armor, weapons, etc. The symbols of the ancient Slavs included the Ratibor. This was the sign of a warrior, for whom the most important was courage, courage and honor. It was believed that ratiborets bestows these qualities on everyone who sincerely and fervently loves his homeland and home. Most often it was depicted with the help of engraving - an art in which the Slavs knew a lot. Like many other ancient symbols, the Ratiborot was a solar sign that looked a bit like the Sun. In this series, the swastika, which denoted the eternal cycle of the universe, stands out. The man who carried it admitted his citizenship to the higher forces of nature.

Symbols of the ancient Slavs were identified with the family - the smallest cell of any society. It was a wedding, which meant the merging of the body, soul, conscience and spirit of those who enter into a conjugal union.

Symbols of elements among Slavs

Many ancient symbols came from the tradition of worshiping fire as the greatest element. There are several such. Yarovrat was worn by admirers of God Yaro, who, with the help of the forces of fire, controlled the weather, which means he was in charge of the harvest. Therefore, those wishing to receive a large number of crops used this sign. Dukhobor also symbolized fire, but only fire internal. It was the designation of the flame of life. If a man was ill in the tribe, he was covered with bandages with a Doukhobor. Grozovik helped protect the temples and houses from the weather, storms, storms and other cataclysms.

The symbol of the land of the ancient Slavs is the sunard. Soil was also associated with the cult of motherhood, which was practiced by some tribes. The prosperity of the earth meant a stable growth of food and a satisfying life of the family.

Runic alphabet

Scandinavian runes were used by numerous Germanic tribes. They had a developed mythology with their unique images associated with the harsh conditions of life of this people. The runes were not only symbols, but also written signs. They were put on stones to convey this or that message. They wrote epic sagas, which tell of the history and myths of the Germans.

However, each sign, if considered separately, also had its own significance. The runic alphabet consists of 24 runes, divided into three rows of 8 in each. In the world found about 5 thousand surviving inscriptions in this amazing language. Most of these artifacts are found in Sweden.

Examples of runes

The first rune, Fehu, meant livestock, and in a broad sense - any personal property of a German. Uruz symbolized a bull or a bison. Thus, the difference between the first and second sign was that in one case there was a pet, and in the second case it was wild and free.

Turisaz was a sharp thorn or hammer of Thor, one of the main gods of the German pantheon. It was used to ensure that the wearer was lucky, as well as protected from hostile forces. Ansouz is an image of open mouths, that is, replicas or spoken wisdom. In addition, it is a sign of caution, since the Scandinavian peoples believed that an intelligent person would never be reckless.

Raido is a cart or a way, a forthcoming wanderer. The ancient symbols and their meaning among the Germans often had a double meaning. Kenaz is a sign of fire. But this flame is friendly. Most often, such a fire was designated by a torch that would heat a person and give him a feeling of comfort and home comfort.

The next two runes symbolize joy. Gebo is a gift and generosity. He was portrayed as a sign of good intentions. If the runes were used in fortune-telling, then the fallen Gebo was a great success for a man who was to have a pleasant surprise in the future. Ancient signs and symbols and now often become material for the occult ministries of the neo-pagans. Wuno means joy. He was often used in conjunction with Gebo. If he was written next to another rune, it meant success or luck in the sphere that the neighboring sign symbolized. For example, Vuño and Fehu were an omen of a large addition in the livestock population.

Some runes were synonymous with natural elements, their presence can be found in almost all peoples and cultures. For example, Laguz is a symbol of water, a lake or even intuition in a figurative sense.

Development of runic writing

It is interesting that over time the common runes split into several variants of the alphabet for different peoples, from the limits of the Roman Empire to the extreme circumpolar north of Norway. The most common is the so-called Praskandinavian variant, from which all the following went. It was used until the 8th century AD, which corresponds to the iron age in these territories. Most often, these runes are found on ancient weapons, armor and roadside stones. Such symbols were used in the magical and religious rites and in the future. Sacral and memorial inscriptions are still found in necropolises and thickets.

In Eastern Europe, the Gothic runes, brought here from Scandinavia, spread. They can be found even in Ukraine and in Romania. After some Germans settled in the British Isles, they had their own variation of this writing. It was connected with isolation from the old homeland and assimilation with "aborigines" - Angles, Saxons, etc. They had new runes, many of which began to designate double sounds in writing (linguists call them diphthongs). These have survived even in modern German.

Icelandic runes are considered exotic . They appeared on a distant island, which was then considered the north-western edge of the world. They are characterized by the use of dotted lines. These runes were in use up to the XIV century. As for the Scandinavian signs, they disappeared with the advent of Christianity in the kingdoms of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The use of runes was considered heresy and brutally punished by the authorities.

Ancient Egypt

One of the most famous symbols of Ancient Egypt is the Ankh. This is the cross that is topped with a ring. It symbolized life and eternity. Also, there are interpretations of the cross and the ring as signs of the rising sun, the union of male and female beginnings. Ankh was used in burial rituals, as the Egyptians believed that the buried with Ankh in the sarcophagus would receive an eternal afterlife.

In everyday life the rounded cross also meant well-being and happiness. He was often carried with him as a talisman for luck. Ankh was used to protect against dark magic. In addition, his images were even found on the walls of river channels. The Egyptians were very dependent on how the Nile would spread, what would be the harvest. That's why Ankh drew in the canal, so that no harm happens to him, and the natural elements remain friendly to the inhabitants.

It is curious that after the ancient Egyptian culture went into oblivion, Ankhu managed to survive. Some time on the banks of the Nile, ancient culture triumphed, and later Islam came. But even in the first centuries of our era, Christians appeared here, who founded their Coptic community. It was they who adopted the Anh because of its external resemblance to the cross.

Eye of Horus

Another important Egyptian symbol is the all-seeing eye. The image of a painted eye is a reference to God the Mountain, who is the master of the sky. The spiral, which was drawn under the eye, meant the eternal movement of energy. This symbol was often used as an amulet against troubles and evil spirits.

In the mythology of Egypt there is a story about the battle of Horus and Seth. This is a common metaphor for the struggle between good and evil. Since Gore was the personification of all light, his sign was used by healers and priests to treat sick and injured people in battles. Also, the Egyptians developed mathematics. The eye of Horus also found its use here - it denoted a fraction.

Scarabs and Isis

Another popular symbol of Ancient Egypt is the scarab. The beetles, who lived in dung and molded balls from it, personified diligence. In addition, they were associated with the sun god Ra, who, like insects, moved this light every day. Scarabs were popular talismans, seals and even medals for services to Pharaoh. Figures of beetles were used in after-death ceremonies. They invested in a sarcophagus to the dead or even laid in the place where the heart used to be (all organs were cut out and put into separate vessels). Ancient symbols often had such a double application - in everyday life and at funerals. Residents of the banks of the Nile had a quivering attitude toward death.

Figures of the goddess Isis often came across treasure hunters in treasuries. It was a symbol of land, fertility and prosperity. Isis - one of the most revered gods of this pantheon. The symbol of water in Egypt meant life. And it is not surprising, because this culture was based on the banks of the Nile, beyond which there was a dead and ruthless desert.

The symbols of Ancient Egypt entered modern culture after the fashion for art deco appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1920s, the whole of Europe and the United States, with bated breath, followed the discoveries of archaeologists. They were pyramids and hidden tombs, the most famous of which is the tomb of Tutankhamun. The symbols of the ancient Egyptians were left on the walls as plots and portents.

Rome

The Roman Empire was built around its capital. For many centuries the capital was a symbol of the center of the ancient world. Therefore, in the Roman pantheon, there was a special cult of this city. His symbol was the capitol wolf.

According to the myth, the founders of Rome, the brothers Romulus and Remus, were royal children. After their uncle came to power during the coup, he ordered to throw the babies into the river. This was done, however, they survived after they were found by the capitol wolf, who raised them. When the children grew up, Romulus founded Rome and became the king of the new state, which lasted a whole millennium.

That's why all the symbols of Ancient Rome blushed before the wolf. Her bronze sculpture stood in the capital's forum, where the most important state decisions were made. The image became a cult, it was often used by the townspeople.

In Rome, ancient symbols and their meaning were often associated with power. For example, when it was only a small republic, magistrates played a big role in it. It was an elective office for one year. The lictor had a symbol of power, which distinguished him from a common number of townspeople. This fascia - a bundle of birch or elm rods, covered with a belt or cord. The symbol also used an ax, which meant that the person who carried it could execute the guilty.

Ancient Greece

Roman mythology was largely formed under the influence of another great culture - the Greek. Therefore, some of the notation of Hellas was relevant to the Italians.

For example, the symbols of Ancient Greece include the image of the staff of Asclepius - the god of medicine and healing. According to legend, he was called by the Cretan king Minos, who asked him to resurrect a prematurely deceased son. Asclepius walked to the palace with a staff in his hand. At some point, he was attacked by a snake, but a man killed her with his stick. A second reptile crawled behind the first, which had grass in its mouth. With her help, she resurrected the snake. Then Asclepius took this plant with him to the palace and helped Minos. Since then, the staff with the snake has become a symbol of medicine.

Another variation that exists in modern times is the bowl of Gigeya with the snake. This girl was the daughter of Asclepius. The symbol has become an international sign of medicine.

Another image of the staff, distributed in Greece and adopted by Rome, is Caduceus. This staff was used by the heralds, who reported the end of the war between states (for example, between Athens and Sparta). Therefore, Caduceus became a symbol of peace both with the Greeks and with the Romans. The image moved to the medieval European heraldry.

Ancient Greek love symbols included a butterfly. This beautiful insect was associated with family harmony and happiness.