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Emblems that identify religious traditions and their communities. Grouped for recognition, not for comparison of belief: what these symbols mean is properly each tradition's own scholarship, and Symbolwise records their readings separately rather than averaging them into a single sentence. Several are far older than the tradition that now carries them, and at least one — the star and crescent — is regarded by many adherents as cultural rather than devotional.
An upright cross with a shorter crossbar set above the centre.
A cross with three crossbars, the lowest set at a slant.
A six-pointed star formed from two overlapping triangles.
A crescent moon paired with a star.
A spoked wheel representing the Buddha's teaching.
A double-edged sword within a circle, flanked by two curved swords.
A circle divided by an S-curve into a dark and a light half, each containing a dot of the other.
The sacred syllable and symbol ॐ, representing the totality of existence in Hinduism, and used with distinct meanings in Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
An open right-hand palm, often with an eye motif, used across Jewish, Muslim, Christian and secular Middle Eastern/North African traditions as a protective symbol.
An ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic sign shaped like a cross with a looped top, signifying life.