Imperial signs, symbols, and mythology

[stofsk]

I was wondering about something. Many empires have symbols and imagery that is meant to be a statement of the civilisation, say the statue of Brittania for the British Empire (she carries a trident to represent the empire's naval power), or the Roman Eagle, and so on.

Another example from the Romans is of course the she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus, the two brothers who founded the city.

I'm guessing the Third Imperium has it's own symbols and mythology. What are they?

 

[mbrinkhues]

The classic one is the Imperial Sunburst the "Ball inside a ring of flames" symbol.

Given the "stolen together" history of the 3I I doubt it has an "All Empire" Mythology. Like Rome each region likely has it's own(1) so the Vilanie still talks about the "God robots" and Terrans still watch Xena and believe it's greek mythology.

Distractors of the Imperium might suggest:

+ Pitchfork, Torch and Noose (Zhodanie)

+ Scales and a Moneybag (Solomanie)

+ Astroburger and Butcherknive (KKree)


(1) I.e left-rhine germany was Roman for quite some time but never lost the germanic mythology or religion

 

[kafka47]

As Signal GK evolves you will see the whole range of Az-tech (Aztec) technologies emerge. This I thought was a useful re-interpretation of the old myths into a future context.

Also, the Scout service have the six legged creature as their emblem. Think of Star Wars, take a soliette image and superimpose in on a background of stars and you can instant emblems.

Also, of course, all the old tropes of Terran mythology would come to the stars. A rather like the idea of a bunch of Vargr corsair adopting the Alien head as their emblem.

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Or whatever the name of that super aggressive Vargr species in Gateway is.

 

[Maladominus]

The Solomani Wheel-Cross is an ancient symbol from both Celtic symbology, as well as from the Greek symbol for "Earth".


The Imperial Scout symbol is that of the Sylean 6-legged "poni". Back in the early days of the Third Imperium, during Cleon Zhunastu's reign, the Scouts were doing much of the exploration and re-establishing contact with old neighbors, and then encouraging them to join the growing Imperium. The young Third Imperium wanted the Imperial Scouts to adopt a symbol that had a link to Old Earth. Doing so would mean a symbolic link as the legitimate successor to the Second Imperium. Some Sylean scientist did her "research" and concluded that the Ancient Terrans once had some native horses which they used in the legendary "Pony Express" service, an early and glorified precursor to the Terran US Postal Service. She concluded that this Terran "pony" (horse) may be a reference to the same beast of burden on Sylea which the Syleans called the "poni", the 6-legged beast of burden.

So she recommended these findings, and the Imperial Scouts then quickly adopted the 6-legged Sylean "poni" as their mascot and symbol, since the Scouts did a lot of courier (mail) service all over the growing Imperium ---- neither rain, nor snow, nor dogbites, nor asteroid fields, could ever stop an Imp Scout from delivering his mail! Dur.

Several years later, the Imperial Scouts discover that the old Sylean professor made a mistake, and find out that the Sylean poni and the Terran pony (horse) are not the same animal. It's an embarassing mistake, but.... oh well, it was too late. The 6-legged poni emblem was already stamped on all the hulls of most of the IISS starships. They were not going to change it now.

This explanation came from an article in Best of JTAS #2.

 

[GypsyComet]

The Imperial sunburst would later become fractured (called the "Tiffany Star" by HIWG) as a symbol of the Rebellion, but would survive as part of the symbology refered to by TNE's "Keepers of the Flame".

The Flaming Eye as a symbol for pirates predates the Third Imperium, IIRC, being a Vilani symbol of considerable age.

 

[stofsk]

Any others? What about events and people who have become legendary to Imperial history?

 

[mbrinkhues]

At least two we know:

Olav hault Plankwell

Admiral Hieroschie(sp) of ISW fame


And we know that they still value officers from earth history like Seydlitz (Monitor class)

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by stofsk:
Any others? What about events and people who have become legendary to Imperial history?

Stofsk,

The trouble is coming up with events and people that are famous Imperium-wide. I've no doubt there are oodles of regional heros everywhere you look.

Arbellatra would be one. GT's 'Planetary Survey' for Glisten has her revered in that system much like a secular saint. Her birthday is a holiday and so forth. In DGP's description of the Imperial Palace a time capsule left behind by Arbellatra is mentioned. It was built to open automatically on 001-1000 but the mechanism failed. That failure is guessed at, but no one even suggests opening it because Arbellatra placed it there.

Plankwell could be another. He eventually gets a subsector, District 268, named after him in TNE. I'd think his 'myth' is a mixed one in Imperial memory however. Sort of bittersweet.

Jaqueline, the empress Plankwell murdered, could very well be another myth. This one wrapped up in doomed 'fin de seicle' motif of sorts.

I've always thought Cleon III should be another, just like Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria.

Oddly enough, we know of few Imperial military hoeros who also didn't take the Throne. After nearly losing the 5th FW, Santanocheev isn't a hero. However, we only hear of Norris after that and not the IN officer who replaced Santanocheev.

The same holds true in the Rim War. The Imperium advanced on Earth in a giant pincer movement along two separate fronts. We know the Solomani Grand Admiral Ivan Wolfe temporarily stalled one Imperial pincer. Wolfe was fighting the second when the first pincer he had thought was beaten arrived to win the battle. We never learn the names of those two Imperial commanders though.

Just my 0.02CrImps.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Arthur Denger]

Originally posted by stofsk:
I was wondering about something. Many empires have symbols and imagery that is meant to be a statement of the civilisation...

I'm guessing the Third Imperium has it's own symbols and mythology. What are they?

I would surmise that the Imperial starburst emblem has it roots in the earlier Ziru Sirka eclipse, a Vilani symbol which dates back to antiquity. Can someone check me on that one? I believe the colors of red and of yellow also have symbolic significance; the fact that Capital's sun is red likely has something to do with it. It is often hard to separate fact from myth, though I am confident someone from Eaglestone University's College of History could do so.

Originally posted by stofsk:
What about events and people who have become legendary to Imperial history?

I don't know about legendary, but I suppose Alexander Lascelles Jamison has at the least attained a kind of folk-hero status.

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by Arthur hault-Denger:
I don't know about legendary, but I suppose Alexander Lascelles Jamison has at the least attained a kind of folk-hero status.

Yeah, he's up there along with Lothario Lochinvar Finger.

 

[kaladorn]

Originally posted by Arthur hault-Denger:

I would surmise that the Imperial starburst emblem has it roots in the earlier Ziru Sirka eclipse, a Vilani symbol which dates back to antiquity. Can someone check me on that one? I believe the colors of red and of yellow also have symbolic significance; the fact that Capital's sun is red likely has something to do with it. It is often hard to separate fact from myth, though I am confident someone from Eaglestone University's College of History could do so.

I seem to recall some sort of comment in the Digest Group Traveller's Digest article on Imperial Marines (the ones on Sol) and their uniforms that the Imperial Sunburst originally had some associated colours but was eventually made officially colourless due to the inability of some races to percieve colours in the same way. I'd need confirmed on that as I don't have my collection handy (about 25% moved to the new place), but I recall something to that effect.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Imperial Sunburst: The symbol of the Third Imperium established by Cleon (the first emperor) when the empire was proclaimed. Images show him standing before the original banner with a golden yellow sunburst against a black background, representing Capital's type G star against dark space.
In 247, the Eliyoh (a nonhuman minor race) joined the Imperium. To that race the symbology was unimpressive. The Eliyoh vision centered in the far infrared, which resulted in distinction between the official colors of black and yellow being impossible. So the Empress Porfiria declared that the symbol would have no official color.
The original banner in the Imperial throne room is still black with a yellow sunburst. The Imperial Interstellar Scout Service uses a red sunburst; the Imperial Navy, yellow; the Imperial Army, black; the Imperial Marines, maroon.