History Main / EsotericMotifs

* Michael Moorcock invented a new symbol for chaos (a wheel of eight arrows, each pointing in a different direction) and a corresponding symbol for law (a single arrow pointing up) for his fantasy stories.

* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', all of the [[ArtificialHuman Homunculi]] have {{Ouroboros}} tattoos somewhere on their bodies.

Almost all readers and viewers will have encountered at least one of these four at some point in a story. These symbols/items are derived from [[TarotMotifs the Tarot,]] being the four suits of the minor arcana, and they are in turn derived from the four Italian playing card suits that modern Anglosphere playing cards[[note]]Or "French suited"[[/note]] are also descended from; see also PlayingCardMotifs. Sometimes, the athame and wand are inverted, so that the wand symbolizes Air and the athame, Fire. The pentacle gets the short end of the stick. It's more or less passed over as a quest object (when did you last hear the line "Right lads, our mission is to find the Mystical Pentacle"?), but it can be a sign that something unpleasant is lurking nearby. Used in this way, it's usually a symbol of Satanism, which means that technically speaking, the pentacle should be point-down.

* The Chalice, or Cup, represents water
* The Wand, or Staff, represents fire
* The Pentacle, or the Coin, or the Star, or the Orb, or the Ring represents earth
* The Athame, or Dagger, or the Sword represents air

Almost all readers and viewers will have encountered at least one of these four at some point in a story. These symbols/items are derived from [[TarotMotifs the Tarot,]] which uses them for the minor arcana, and they are in turn derived from the four Italian playing card suits that modern Anglosphere playing cards[[note]]Or "French suited"[[/note]] are also descended from; see also PlayingCardMotifs. Sometimes, the athame and wand are inverted, so that the wand symbolizes air and the athame fire.

The pentacle gets the short end of the stick. It's more or less passed over as a quest object (when did you last hear the line "Right lads, our mission is to find the Mystical Pentacle"?), and can be a sign that something unpleasant is lurking nearby. Used in this way, it's usually a symbol of Satanism, which means that technically speaking, the pentacle should be point-down.

The pagan calendar also makes the odd appearance as a motif. Summer and Winter Solstices often have an effect on power, as do the vernal and autumnal equinoxes (also found in other traditions); Samhain lives on as Halloween. Some characters will have strong connections to these times of year, often based on whatever type of magic they have.

Sometimes, witchcraft doesn't enter into the symbolism at all -- it's a design taken from elsewhere else (usually another tradition) that looks pretty and suits the purpose. Popular symbols in fantasy include the spiral, the sign for infinity (an 8 on its side), Ouroboros (snake eating its tail) and the eye of Horus. (The swastika used to be used in this manner until Hitler appropriated it and rendered it [[NoSwastikas ideologically radioactive.]])

Alternatively, the "mystical symbol" has no real-life equivalent whatsoever. It's specific to a character or the product of the writer's imagination with its own associations as defined by the writer/artist.

See also: InstantRunes, where those funny looking scribbles actually ''do'' something; {{BFS}}, where the pointy thing the hero is lugging around isn't just a symbol, TarotMotifs, WesternZodiac, and PublicDomainArtifact.

Most esoteric motifs are based on some form of witchcraft or Wiccan tradition. The most famous of these are probably the four objects found on an altar in such traditions, which often appear as quest items or weaponry in many a fantasy plotline. These four stand in for [[FourElementEnsemble the four elements]], who seem to turn up quite a lot whenever there's magic nearby...

* Myth/ArthurianLegend has ''The Four Hallows'' of the Fisher King's castle: the chalice, the sword, the spear (staff) and a platter, which fills the same role as the pentacle. This in turn is derived from the pre-christian Celtic tale of the four treasures of the Tuatha De Danaan, which is sometimes referenced in celtic-themed fiction, for example four treasures of the novel ''Elidor''.

* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' also used the Holy Grail. In the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]], the four Inner Scouts/Senshi have a large sword used "to protect the princess" and bring their powers together. However, it's not wonderfully effective.
** See also the entry under the Japanese Imperial Regalia, below.
* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' uses a lot of Egyptian symbolism. The Eye of Horus/Wdjat is particularly prominent, as it shows up on the Millennium Items.

* The Taijitu (Japanese Taikyoku), Taoist symbol of the Yin and Yang concept, shows up in numerious Japanese and Chinese stories. In Manga/{{Naruto}}, the Taijitu is surrounded by the Bagua (trigrams) when Neji Hyuga is about to use his advanced Gentle Fist techniques.
* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', all of the [[ArtificialHuman Homunculi]] have {{Ouroboros}} tattoos somewhere on their bodies.
* The anime version of ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' has a pentagram magically appear behind Rosette during Chrono's TransformationSequence.

* ''A Wizard Abroad'', the fourth book in the ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series, takes the [[PublicDomainArtifact Four Great Treasures]] from [[UsefulNotesOnIreland Irish]] mythology and combines them with the [[ElementalRockPaperScissors the elemental motifs]] noted above: the cup known as the Cauldron of Rebirth embodying water, the sword known as Fragarach the Answerer embodying air, the Stone of Destiny embodying earth, and the Spear of Lugh embodying fire.

* In ''Literature/FightingFantasy'', the eight-pointed star is used as a symbol of [[TrueNeutral Neutrality]] along with a double-pointed arrow (the arrow for those who are neutral because they [[BalanceOfGoodAndEvil maintain the balance]]; the star for those who [[TheUnfettered might do anything]]). The symbol for Chaos/Evil is a circle, and an arrow pointing straight up represents [[OrderVersusChaos Order]]/Good.

* Sibohan Beckett from ''Series/EarthFinalConflict'' had a bag of runes on her person and consulted them frequently. Liam doesn't consult them, but he certainly understood their meanings.

* TabletopGame/UnknownArmies does this a lot. All magick is sympathetic, so signs and symbolism can be very useful for making magick more powerful. It's not limited to conventional pagan symbols or TarotMotifs, either; all human ideas can be made real through magick, given the right kicker. For instance, signs of The Executioner include the Swords tarot, axes, the color black, and 9mm pistols (for "exeuction style" kills). Also, a good GM will roll a lot of symbols into the environment to give players clues or enrich their experience, so keep your eyes open.

* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' has the [[PublicDomainArtifact imperial regalia of Japan]] show up in the weapons - the reflectors for the mirror, the rosaries for the magatama, and the glaives for the sword. Divine Retribution, Exorcism Beads and Blade of Kusanagi are the closest to the original regalia.

Almost all readers and viewers will have encountered at least one of these four at some point in a story. These symbols/items are derived from [[TarotMotifs the Tarot,]] which uses them for the minor arcana, and they are in turn derived from the four Italian playing card suits that modern Anglosphere playing cards[[note]]Or "French suited"[[/note]] are also descended from. Sometimes, the athame and wand are inverted, so that the wand symbolizes air and the athame fire.

* [[KingArthur Arthurian]] legend has ''The Four Hallows'' of the Fisher King's castle: the chalice, the sword, the spear (staff) and a platter, which fills the same role as the pentacle. This in turn is derived from the pre-christian Celtic tale of the four treasures of the Tuatha De Danaan, which is sometimes referenced in celtic-themed fiction, for example four treasures of the novel ''Elidor''.

Almost all readers and viewers will have encountered at least one of these four at some point in a story. These symbols/items are derived from [[TarotMotifs the Tarot,]] which uses them for the minor arcana, and they are in turn derived from the four suits of Italian playing cards today that modern playing cards are also descended from. Sometimes, the athame and wand are inverted, so that the wand symbolizes air and the athame fire.

Almost all readers and viewers will have encountered at least one of these four at some point in a story. These symbols/items are derived from [[TarotMotifs the Tarot,]] which uses them for the minor arcana, and they are in turn derived from the four suits of Italian playing cards today that modern playing cards are descended from. Sometimes, the athame and wand are inverted, so that the wand symbolizes air and the athame fire.

Almost all readers and viewers will have encountered at least one of these four at some point in a story. These symbols/items are derived from [[TarotMotifs the Tarot,]] which uses them for the minor arcana. Sometimes, the athame and wand are inverted, so that the wand symbolizes air and the athame fire.

Almost all readers and viewers will have encountered at least one of these four at some point in a story. These symbols/items are also related to [[TarotMotifs the Tarot,]] which uses them for the minor arcana. Sometimes, the athame and wand are inverted, so that the wand symbolizes air and the athame fire.

** The three treasures appear, somewhat modified, as the three weapon types in ''{{Okami}}''. Which makes sense, since the main character is the reincarnated Amaterasu, and the story borrows.

* ''A Wizard Abroad'', the fourth book in the ''YoungWizards'' series, takes the [[PublicDomainArtifact Four Great Treasures]] from [[UsefulNotesOnIreland Irish]] mythology and combines them with the [[ElementalRockPaperScissors the elemental motifs]] noted above: the cup known as the Cauldron of Rebirth embodying water, the sword known as Fragarach the Answerer embodying air, the Stone of Destiny embodying earth, and the Spear of Lugh embodying fire.

* Sibohan Beckett from ''EarthFinalConflict'' had a bag of runes on her person and consulted them frequently. Liam doesn't consult them, but he certainly understood their meanings.

* [[http://mspstore.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/comic-horndog-3/ This issue]] of ''{{Horndog}}'' depicts a pentacle in conjunction with demonic spirits being summoned.

* Numerous Japanese stories, not the least among them the anime ''BlueSeed'', make use of the [[PublicDomainArtifact imperial regalia of Japan]], a trio of ancient artifacts tied to the Japanese national mythos: ''Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi'' ("the sword of the gathering clouds of heaven" from the legend of {{Orochi}} and the Japanese equivalent of {{Excalibur}}) (often also called [[{{Kusanagi}} Kusanagi no Tsurugi, "the grass-cutting sword"]]), ''Yasakani no magatama'' (a jade necklace with large, comma-shaped jewels on it, although pop culture tends to depict it as a single large gem), and ''Yata no kagami'' (the sacred mirror). The latter two are said to be the treasures used to lure the goddess Amaterasu from a cave wherein she'd hidden herself. Unlike most mythical artifacts they appear in the historical record, and all three artifacts (or items claimed to be them) still exist, enshrined in three different locations in Japan.

* The anime version of ''ChronoCrusade'' has a pentagram magically appear behind Rosette during Chrono's TransformationSequence.

* ''{{Promethea}}'' features an arc where Sophie, the current incarnation of Promethea, goes on a mythic journey with past bearers of the title, learning lessons framed around the four suits of the Tarot. One part equates reason with the Sword, as "swords cut through bullshit."

* Naturally in a game about Alchemy, and Demonology -- ''AnimamundiDarkAlchemist'' is full of these, from Georik's Ouroboros cufflinks he had from his father (which showed his father was an alchemist), the sword-cup-wand-knife motifs, even his house has the Cadecaus (the winged staff with two snakes) emblem carved into the wall. Basically, it's everywhere.

* In ''AmericanBarbarian'', [[http://www.ambarb.com/?p=167 Rick has a Masonic pyramid on his shield.]]

* The Order of Denderah in ''{{lonelygirl15}}'' are associated with various symbols, including the Omicron-Tau and the Watcher symbol, both based on Greek letters; Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of fertility; the lemniscate; Enochian; the Zodiac of Denderah; and various occult concepts associated with Aleister Crowley. The Resistance also use a symbol based on Greek letters, Theta-Pi.

* Numerous Japanese stories, not the least among them the anime ''BlueSeed'', make use of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Regalia_of_Japan imperial regalia of Japan]], a trio of ancient artifacts tied to the Japanese national mythos: ''Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi'' ("the sword of the gathering clouds of heaven" from the legend of {{Orochi}} and the Japanese equivalent of [[KingArthur Excalibur]]) (often also called Kusanagi no Tsurugi, "the grass-cutting sword"), ''Yasakani no magatama'' (a jade necklace with large, comma-shaped jewels on it, although pop culture tends to depict it as a single large gem), and ''Yata no kagami'' (the sacred mirror). The latter two are said to be the treasures used to lure the goddess Amaterasu from a cave wherein she'd hidden herself. Unlike most mythical artifacts they appear in the historical record, and all three artifacts (or items claimed to be them) still exist, enshrined in three different locations in Japan.

* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' has the imperial regalia of Japan show up in the weapons - the reflectors for the mirror, the rosaries for the magatama, and the glaives for the sword. Divine Retribution, Exorcism Beads and Blade of Kusanagi are the closest to the original regalia.

* In ''FightingFantasy'', the eight-pointed star is used as a symbol of [[TrueNeutral Neutrality]] along with a double-pointed arrow (the arrow for those who are neutral because they [[BalanceOfGoodAndEvil maintain the balance]]; the star for those who [[TheUnfettered might do anything]]). The symbol for Chaos/Evil is a circle, and an arrow pointing straight up represents [[OrderVersusChaos Order]]/Good.

Most esoteric motifs are based on some form of witchcraft or Wiccan tradition. The most famous of these are probably the four objects found on an altar in such traditions, which often appear as quest items or weaponry in many a fantasy plotline. These four stand in for [[ElementalRockPaperScissors the four elements]], who seem to turn up quite a lot whenever there's magic nearby...

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4032 a pentacle is used to attempt to summon Lucifer.]]

* In ''AmericanBarbarian'', [[http://www.ambarb.com/?p=167 Rick has a Masonic pyramid on his shield.]]

* ''Manga/SailorMoon'' also used the Holy Grail. In the manga, the four Inner Scouts/Senshi have a large sword used "to protect the princess" and bring their powers together. However, it's not wonderfully effective.

** The regalia seem to make an appearance in the later seasons of ''Manga/SailorMoon'' in the form of Uranus's sword, Neptune's mirror, and the gem at the end of Pluto's staff.

* ''{{Promethea}}'' features an arc where Sophie, the current incarnation of Promethea, goes on a mythic journey with past bearers of the title, learning lessons framed around the four suits of the Tarot. This troper didn't read the whole arc (it was split between volumes), but one part equates reason with the Sword, as "swords cut through bullshit."

* Games Workshop took Moorcock's eight-pointed star as a symbol of Chaos in TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} and TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}. Other symbols associated with Chaos are the signs of the four Chaos Gods and the Eye of Horus.

* ''KamenRiderBlade'', with its running motif of playing cards, named the four main Riders for one of the elements: Blade is Swords, Chalice is Cups, Garren is Coins (the name comes from "Galleon") and Leangle is Clubs (from "liangle", a type of club). Their ElementalPowers, however, are mixed up: Blade is [[ShockAndAwe lightning]], Chalice [[BlowYouAway wind]], Garren [[PlayingWithFire fire]], and Leangle [[AnIcePerson ice]].
* Sibohan Beckett from EarthFinalConflict had a bag of runes on her person and consulted them frequently. Liam doesn't consult them, but he certainly understood their meanings.