Saint John's Arms

Saint John's Arms

⌘, a square with loops at the corners, which is sometimes referred to as Saint John's Arms, the Place of Interest Sign, [Official Unicode documentation refers to the symbol as the "the Place of Interest Sign". See official documentation: [http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2300.pdf] ] or Saint Hannes cross, is an ancient symbol now commonly used throughout Northern Europe.

Ancient use

The symbol appears on a number of objects in Northern Europe. It features prominently on an image stone from Hablingbo, Gotland, Sweden that was created between 400-600 AD. [The picture stone may be viewed online here: [http://www.gotmus.i.se/1engelska/bildstenar/engelska/hablingbo_havor.htm] ]

It is also similar to a traditional heraldic emblem called a Bowen knot.James Parker, "A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry" (Oxford, 1894). [http://www.heraldsnet.org/saitou/parker/Jpglossc.htm#Cord] Retrieved on 2007-03-18.]

The symbol decorates a 1,000-year-old, pre-Christian wooden ski that was found in Finland. [Ilmar Talve: "Suomen kansankulttuuri" (1990)]

Modern use

In modern times, the symbol is commonly found in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden as an indicator of cultural locations. Unicode standards documents such as U2300 (Miscellaneous Technical, Range 2300-23FF) call it the "Place of Interest sign".

The symbol later gained international recognition via computing. It is used on the Apple Macintosh's keyboard as the symbol for the command key, where it got a variety of slang names: "cloverleaf", "splat", "splodge", "butterfly", "squiggle", "beanie", "cauliflower", "propeller", "shamrock", and "puppy print". Its Unicode code is U+2318: unicode|⌘.



The_⌘_symbol_as_seen_on_Rana museum, Norway.
Turku Cathedral showing Saint John's Arms.
command key.

References

ee also

* Bowen knot
* Command key
* Valknut
* Camunian rose


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Saint John's — Also consult Saint John.Saint John s may refer to:Places* St. John s, Antigua and Barbuda * St. Johns, Netherlands AntillesIn Canada* St. John s, Newfoundland and Labrador * Saint John, New Brunswick * St. Johns and Fort St Jean, now called Saint …   Wikipedia

  • Venerable Order of Saint John — This article is about the order after its revival in the 19th century. For the original Order of St. John, see Knights Hospitaller. Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem Insignia of a Member of the Order of St John …   Wikipedia

  • Christ of Saint John of the Cross — Artist Salvador Dalí Year 1951 Type Oil on canvas Dimensions 205 cm × 116 cm (80.7 in × 45.6 …   Wikipedia

  • Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (Charleston) — Infobox religious building building name=Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist caption=The Cathedral location=Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America geo= religious affiliation=Roman Catholic district=Diocese of Charleston… …   Wikipedia

  • John the Baptist — Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist by Bartolomeo Veneto 16th century Prophet, Preacher, Forerunner, Martyr Born c. 5 BC Died 3 …   Wikipedia

  • Saint Kitts And Nevis — Introduction Saint Kitts and Nevis Background: First settled by the British in 1623, the islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and… …   Universalium

  • John Port (the elder) — …   Wikipedia

  • Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port — Old bridge over river Nive …   Wikipedia

  • John Brooke-Little — Infobox Person name = John Philip Brooke Little alternative names = John Brooke Little, JBL image size = 150px caption = John Brooke Little, CVO, FSA, Norroy and Ulster King of Arms birth date = birth date|1927|4|6|df=y birth place = Blackheath,… …   Wikipedia

  • John Chrysostom — This article is about the Christian saint. For other uses, see Chrysostomos (disambiguation). Saint John Chrysostom East: Great Hierarch and Ecumenical Teacher West: Bishop and Doctor of the Church Born …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”