Origins of Religious and Political Symbols

I find it fascinating that often simple geometrical figures - available to everyone - become powerful symbols, representing sometimes entire nations or religions. The extent to which mankind accepts the rules of symbolism clearly shows that we constantly need solid signs to differentiate from each other. The need to exhibit one's particularity is seen in teenagers who adorn themselves with badges, tattoos and namedropping t-shirts. As people grow out of their teen paraphernalia, they develop further associations coded in a simple friend/enemy imagery (not necessarily consciously hostile). So I gathered together various graphic symbols of religious and political significance that seem interesting to me and also provided their origins. Please feel free to suggest additional interpretations.

The famous peace sign was popularized in the 1960s by war protesters. It was originally designed in 1958 by a British artist for a nuclear disarmament campaign and that is what stipulated its look: the symbol is essentially a combination of the two letters - N and D (for nuclear desarmament), drawn in the style of semaphore signs (Λ & I) that superimpose each other (although I personally prefer the idea that the sign is actually the foot print of a dove of peace, after the dove painted by Pablo Picasso in 1949 for the World Peace Congress). Later it was globally adopted by pacifists. Peace sign also became part of hippie imagery.

A cross is one of the simplest signs and has been used globally with different meanings from time immemorial. In Christianity it symbolizes the cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified. Probably the first reference to the cross as a specifically Christian symbol was made in the 2nd century but it took several centuries before it was universally established as such. Most Christians revere the cross for it should remind them Christ's expiatory death for the sins of mankind. For that very reason, some Christian groups do not use the cross in their iconography, arguing that it is a symbol of the dying Christ; others may see elements of idol in the cross and therefore refuse to use it. You may also have seen a little Christian cross next to death dates in old encyclopaedias, which is rarely used today.

Many European countries adopted the cross into their flags; for example, all Nordic flags follow essentially the same pattern with the difference being in colors. The red cross of the eponymous international organization was adopted by institutions of medical aid, especially ambulances, in various countries (although it must be noted, it originates from the flag of Switzerland rather than being an exclusively religious reference).

Hammer and sickle is a common symbol of Communism. It first appeated in 1917, after Russian Communists, who called themselves Bolsheviks, seized the power in Russia and established the first Communist state. Since Communism was viewed as an international rather than national agenda, hammer and sickle were adopted by Communists of other countries. It's still widely used by left radical parties around the world and by a few remaining Communist countries. The sickle symbolizes peasantry (agriculture) and the hammer represents industrial proletariat: united they both are set to fight capitalism around the world.

It's interesting that a sickle and hammer also can be seen on the flag of Austria, for that country never had Communists in power. Both symbols have the same meaning as in Communist ideology, however they are not meant to fight capitalism; instead they simply represent the agricultural and industrial strength of Austrian Republic.

The Star of David, known in Hebrew as Magen David, sometimes also referred as Solomon's Seal, is the universal symbol of Judaism. By its geometric form, it is a hexagram. There is no universal explanation how this hexagram gained significance in Judaism. As a pattern motif it was used since ancient times by various peoples. The earliest Judaic symbolic reference to the Star of David dates to the 11th century. It had a close connection to Kabbala esoteric teaching. By the 14th century it appeared to have been adopted as a symbol of Jewish communities in Central Europe. Much later it was accepted as a universal symbol within Judaism.

Five-pointed star became a symbol of various political ideologies, often completely antagonistic. For example, the red star is viewed as a socialist and Communist symbol; while stars on the American flag have different associations. The five points on the star provide a broad opportunity for interpretations and therefore it's been one of the most used secular signs.

Red star became the symbol of Communism around the same time as the hammer and sickle, that is, sometime in the late 1917, after the October Revolution in Russia. In such meaning it's been used since then widely by official Communist governments, left-wing terrorist groups and socialist supporters around the world. There's also a red star on the flag of California, which has nothing to do with socialism.

Stars on the American flag symbolize politically a new constellation of independent states, with more stars added as years went by.

To Westerners swastika appears one of the utmost ominous symbols. But it was not always the case. Archaelogical record shows that objects in the shape of swastika - which is a simple geometrical pattern - can be found almost in all ancient cultures, dating back to 4,000-10,000 BC. In the Orient swastika was incorporated into symbolism of several religions (Hinduists, Buddhists and more prominently Jainists). The word swastika is of Sanskrit origin, meaning any lucky object. As a symbol of luck, swastikas adorn buildings, personal items and emblems in Asia. In the early 20th century both the sign and name swastika could be seen applied to various consumer products in the West (soaps, magazines, etc.). After the First World War the sign was employed by a small political party in Europe. 13 years later it became the symbol of a new Germany. The party was National-Socialists led by Adolf Hitler and ever since swastika has been associated with hatred and white racism; in several countries, including Germany, it is banned.

Both the sun and the moon were the earliest objects of significance to mankind, and it is no wonder that a sign of crescent was used since ancient times. However, nowadays it is widely associated with Islam as one can see mosques adorned with crescents. Initially the crescent and star was adopted by the Ottoman Empire in the 12th century - five centuries after Mohammad - and became the principal symbol of the Turks ever since. As the Ottoman Empire extended, the symbolism of crescent also spread among Muslim peoples. Currently it's used on flags of Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania; yet it's oddly absent on flags of Arabia.

One can see crescents also atop Russian Orthodox churches, along with the cross right above it. Some people believe it symbolizes victory of Christianity over Islam, which is wrong: crescents appeared on churches well before any conflicts with Muslim nations. They came from Byzantium and symbolize Czar's authority, hence are located just below the cross.

The yin yang has become a popular symbol and concept in the West. Its design can be found in ancient European cultures but the current meaning comes from China, where it was introduced in the 16th century by philosopher Lai Zhide. It consists of one circle (represents a whole) and two interacting opposites (yin and yang), as part of a dynamic system. There might be some misunderstanding in that yin and yang correspond to evil and good. However, as with most Asian religions, there is little emphasis on moral antagonism between good and evil in preference to the idea of harmony. Everything equally possesses both yin and yang, each of which may manifest itself stronger or weaker.

The ominous imagery of skull and crossbones has been widely used for various reasons: in fraternities, freemasonic societies, in sports, in medicine (as the symbol of poison), in electric works (as the symbol of hazard), in military, and finally as Jolly Roger, the flag of pirates.

Circle-A became widely associated with Anarchism since the 1960s. The origins of that symbol go to the 19th century: the A in a circle was employed for the first time by anarchists in 1868 by the Federal Council of Spain; however it was not used by the classical anarchists at the time. In the late 1970's this symbol was incorporated in punk subculture. The A stands for anarchy and the circle is an O that stands for order, as in Anarchy is Order.

The same symbol is used by United States Army Central.

I would like to close the hub with a sign, or rather a pair of signs that are not political or religious. The + and - signs represent addition and subtraction in mathematics respectively. Despite alphabets dating back to ancient times, these signs have been invented relatively recently: they appeared for the first time in the late 15th century in Europe.