10+ Famous Symbols, Whose Real Meanings Many People Probably Didn’t Know

Symbols are part of human language — verbal and non-verbal — and they are everywhere: in money, in jewelry, in correspondence. We are surrounded by many signs in our daily lives, but we do not always know the original meanings of many of them, which can sometimes be the exact opposite of what we imagine.

O awesome.club delved into the pages of history books to bring to light some of the most popular symbols we all know. At the end of the post, we will show some users who were surprised by some “symbolic” findings. Follow up!

The lily was considered the symbol of French kings, but its original meaning is a little different. It was used in religious rituals and in the arts as a sign of transparency and spiritual purity. This flower was often portrayed as an attribute of the Virgin Mary. In heraldry, the science of describing coats of arms or shields, it represented the Trinity.

The heraldic lily was discovered in Mesopotamia and has a long history. Interestingly, also in the French novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dameby Victor Hugo, one of the characters was called Fleur-de-Lys (Flor-de-lis in Portuguese, which is symbolically identified with the lily).

Also called “Ankh”. The history of this cross began in Ancient Egypt and represented immortality, wisdom and protection. Today, it is best known as an element of the Gothic subculture, which began in the 1980s in the UK.

The symbol is represented by the letter “L” and means “balance, balance” in Latin. In Ancient Rome, the pound was used as a measure of weight in various regions of Europe. In English, the currency is called a “pound” — a term also used as a unit of mass. From this name several currency units were created, including the Italian lira and the French pound, which was in circulation until 1795.

The anchor is characteristic of sailors and is present on many flags and coats of arms of institutions associated with the sea. The most primitive Christians used it as a representation of the religious cross, so much so that in the Old Testament there is a passage that alludes to this symbol.

The most important mantra of Hinduism is also found in many movies, songs and decorations. In Hinduism, the “Om” refers to the divine triad — representing creation, support and, at the same time, destruction. It is also a mantra of physical and mental strength and reflects the sound of eternity often used in meditation. Sometimes “Om” is associated with the deity Ganesha.

In addition to being a diacritical mark in Portuguese, the tilde is also used to emphasize the inaccuracy of some information. When we want to mention, for example, an approximate waiting time. Originally, however, this wavy line was used in cursive scripts of some languages ​​in the 14th century to indicate the omission of one or more letters, usually the “m” and “n”.

This Scandinavian symbol corresponds to the hammer of the god Thor and today it is worn around the neck as protection against bad luck. In the past, in the Nordic countries, mjölnir was also worn around the neck, but with a different purpose: for newlyweds to have many children. Therefore, it appeared a lot at weddings and could be placed under the lovebirds’ bed after the ceremony.

This emblem is found on many pieces of leather to indicate the legitimacy of the material, but few know the meaning of the image. In fact, it only seeks to represent the skin of the animal, from which the shoe, clothing or accessory was made.

Behind the asterisks in the text are hidden words. The first mentions of the symbol are still found in cave paintings. A little later, the Greek philologist Aristarchus of Samothrace used this sign to correct Homer’s poetry: thus he indicated the repetition of verses. Likewise, the philosopher Origen of Alexandria used it to indicate incomplete verses. During the Middle Ages, the asterisk came to have a purpose better known to us: it pointed out that there were comments or observations in a given text.

This mask is the face of the English soldier Guy Fawkes. after the movie v for Vendetta, many people came to see it as a sign of protest and struggle for equality. If we delve a little deeper into the story, however, we will see that Guy Fawkes was not quite as heroic as he is portrayed today.

First, he didn’t fight — at all — for justice or equality. His plans included overthrowing the current monarch and bringing another to power to establish the rule of the Catholic Church. Also, after being arrested, Fawkes conspired and betrayed his comrades, which got them all executed.

Beautiful red socks hanging above the fireplace are the icon of Christmas and New Year’s Eve. But do you know how the tradition started? The origin of this symbolism began with a very moving legend. A family man had three daughters ready to marry. Due to poverty, however, the girls had no dowry and, at that time, women without dowries could not marry and had to earn a living in brothels.

A former monk (later canonized and known as Saint Nicholas of Myra) was moved by the plight of this family and decided to save the girls from a fate considered shameful. He left three bags of gold beside the family’s fireplace, and one of them fell directly into a sock, which was drying by the fireplace.

The three-leaf clover is often called a “lucky sign”. Historically speaking, however, this is not quite true: the three-leaf clover is the official and patented symbol of Ireland, while the four-leaf clover represents luck. In fact, this plant can have even more leaves, you know?

“My husband inherited this from his aunt. Someone knows what it is?” This was the question asked by a Reddit user. In response, they asked if his aunt had visited Peru. The answer was “yes” and, consequently, the pendant would portray one of the symbols of the philosopher’s stone – an object so sought after by alchemists of the Middle Ages, as they believed that with it, they could turn any metal into gold.

The rather unusual symbol (on the left door) can be found in public toilets in Switzerland and represents one of the characters of the local carnival. The image indicates that such a booth contains only one urinal and — thanks to that — the line moves much faster.

What is the meaning of a symbol that remains a great mystery to you? Maybe we’ll talk about him next time. Comment!