The Books of the Cataclysm: Glossary of Symbols

Various visual symbols appear or are referred to throughout the text of The Crooked Letter and the following Books of the Cataclysm. These symbols have specific or multiple meanings, some of which are outlined below. This list isn't exhaustive, but it does cover all the signs at the heading of each chapter.

(This list is now updated to include The Blood Debt, The Hanging Mountains and The Devoured Earth.)

The Crooked Letter

The compound sign on the cover of The Crooked Letter is inspired by the alchemical Catena Aurea Homeri. Working in order from right to left (originally intended to be from bottom to top), its meaning is as follows:

(1) The symbol of the Earth or matter under the line bisecting the larger circle represents the divide between planes of consciousness. The line can also represent the sun, and relates back to the beginning of the Catena Aurea Homeri, the dominance of god over matter.

(2) This is a heraldic sign known as the mirror.

(3) This mixture of signs implies that the unification of the soul is constrained by the heart of the mirror.

(4) The triangle within the circle represents the holy trinity (the three in one). The circle within the triangle folds the same symbol back on itself (the one in three).

(5) The climax of the chain has the inverted V, which indicates all that lacks existence, nothing, resting under a perversion of the symbol for Earth surmounted by the crooked letter, Y. The top of the Y, the V, represents the whole universe or victory.

The cross is an ancient symbol used by most cultures and has many meanings, including matter, earthly life, the material plane of existence, quintessence, death, boundary, beginning and end. In logic, mathematics and chemistry, this symbol unites, whereas in numismatics and cartography it separates. It is not used here in its Christian context.

This is a Swedish hobo sign meaning danger: angry dog. In other symbolic uses, its structure indicates that something is dangerous or resistant. This is the design tattooed across the knuckles of Lascowicz's right hand.

Not to be confused with a symbol from the computing world meaning system, this is an ancient Egyptian sigil for the underworld or the kingdom of death.

The rune madr, from the earliest Nordic rune alphabet, means man or human. In Clive Barrett's system of Norse Tarot, it refers to the card of The World, which can take as its meaning the end of an era. It can also mean unification, coming together, becoming one.

Another Nordic rune, ur or uruz means strength or sacrificial animals. In Clive Barrett's system of Norse Tarot, it refers to the card of Strength, taking inspiration from the myth of Loki and Angurboda and their three monstrous offspring: Hel, goddess of the Underworld; Iormungandr, the Great Serpent; and Fenris, the wolf. The story of Fenris involves ferocious growth, betrayal by the gods, and the biting off of the hand of Tyr, god of war.

This symbol combines ideograms for deceased male, danger (twice), and abscess with a US hobo sign meaning here they will rough you up.

Another compound sign, this combines the triangle (divine power and danger) and the circle (life) with the Y-shape that often refers to life's path and the choice between good and evil.

In both the Hittite and Egyptian Hieroglyphic systems, this ideogram stood for kingdom.

Carl G. Liungman's Dictionary of Symbols identifies this sign as one originating in an English stenography system and interprets its meaning as unreliability.

This is one of the many zodiacal signs for Aquarius. One of the negative personality traits exhibited by Aquarians is dissociation. The sign of Aquarius is associated with Sweden, consciousness, and intuition.

The headless cross of St. Anthony is said to have been effective in chasing away demons. It is combined here with the sign that has for four hundred years meant division in mathematics. The intersection described in "The Nail" possesses this shape.

This ancient symbol has been associated with water, migration and, in Tibet, potential power. It can also mean whirlpool, and has been associated with the zodiacal sign of Leo.

This compound sign combines the cross of endlessness (a symbol for eternity) with an ideogram meaning meeting place and the circle, which has a multitude of meanings (from all that exists to nothingness). This is the pattern paced out by Kybele in "The Nail."

There are many ideograms used to represent Saturn, a symbol for implacable powers, restrictions, and the "relentless structures of the world of matter" (to quote Carl G. Liungman's Dictionary of Symbols). It is also associated with the skeletal Reaper, the bringer of sorrow and hardship. Duty, responsibility, discipline and hard work also fall under this sign's aegis, along with buildings, heavy machinery and lead.

In English meteorology, this symbol means threatening skies. It is also a prehistoric symbol for woman, and bears a passing resemblance to alf, the ancient semitic phoneme for bull.

This symbol combines extreme turbulence from some flying contexts with the Korean character keonkwai, meaning sky or father.

Rotated forty-five degrees, this symbol is that of the Ancient Germanic sign called the eye of fire. It is also an alchemical sign of the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. The square with a dot in its center is a hobo sign for danger. This pattern also forms a map of Lascowicz's lair, with the Transamerica Pyramid marked by the point on the left.

The swastika is another ancient symbol with a range of meanings. Before the 20th Century, its meanings were universally positive, associated with protection against evil powers, good luck, the sun, the life force, and the highest god. This is the sigil drawn by Kybele in "The Pyramid."

This sign is based on a common ideogram representing Thor's hammer, Molnir. In "The Eight," this is the flying formation adopted by Seth and his companions.

The ankh is a familiar and very ancient Egyptian sign meaning life after death. It can also symbolize sexual union. This symbol is the one branded onto Seth by the Ogdoad in "The Eight."

As well as a mathematical term meaning not equal to, this is a botanical symbol indicating that a plant is very poisonous. A similar sign, rotated ninety degrees, was once called the invocation cross.

This symbol combines hobo signs meaning bypass this place, unfriendly people, and leave quickly.

Concentric circles, as well as meaning target in today's non-iconical symbolic language, have connotations from ancient times of the divine and powerful.

A six-pointed star, as opposed to a hexagram, has surprisingly few meanings. When surrounded by a triangle, it means extreme heat. In "The Knot," this is the symbol Hadrian draws on the Draci's stomach.

This ideogram for lightning (here reversed) is associated in Germanic countries with strength, battle, victory. The related rune sigrune has connotations of danger, energy, violence, intense heat, war and death.

These characters spell emergency exit in Korean. This is the sign Hadrian finds at the top of the stairs in "The Summit."

One of the most ancient known ideograms, this alchemical symbol refers to the spirit, the essence, the most precious. In early astronomy, it stood for the sun's center.

In Ghana, this sign is called nkyin nyin and means transformation of self.

In the Hebrew alphabet, this is the sign for yod, the first letter in the name of God.

The Blood Debt

See (3) in the modified Catena Aurea Homeri above.

An alchemical symbol referring to melting or digestion.

The planet Pluto is often indicated by use of this sign. It is used here for its association with capital punishment.

This symbol is one way of representing Neptune, a planet sometimes associated with

opposites coming together and the defeat of ego.

The Hanging Mountains

This complex sign is many combined. The most obvious reference is to the Caduceus, the staff of the snake, which in turn comes from Mercury the "messenger of the gods". It also contains two circles overlapping, which can mean many things: double exposure, the spirit of (human) life, that there's nothing to be afraid of, handcuffs, etc.

This is a combination of the Hittite sign for king (itself a combination of signs meaning oneness and divinity)

and one of many signs from alchemy meaning mixture.

This is an alternate way of drawing a Nordic rune that originally meant god but later came to mean rapids or waterfall.

It is sometimes associated with Loki, and mouths.

This meteorological symbol indicates a frosty mist.

This alchemist symbol refers to stones or pebbles. Its shape is reminiscent of the cross,

with its association with death, burial and resurrection.

This hobo sign means here be angry men and dogs.

This sign has been used for thousands of years to signify China, the empire situated between heaven and the underworld, the "Empire in the Middle".

The Devoured Earth

An alchemical symbol for glass that could also refer to alembics, distillation flasks, and others items made out of glass.

On some geological maps, this sign denotes a volcano.

In eighteen-century chemistry, this sign meant melt together or fuse.

In some biological systems, this sign means dead female.

The square-within-a-square has many meaning. Here it's referring to keep or retain.