Glyph. What a strange word. It sounds like a hipster version of the word hieroglyphic. Perhaps the most recognizable glyph today is the New Orleans Fleur De Lis. You can't see one without thinking of the other. Modern sports fans recognize it immediately as the symbol for the New Orleans Saints NFL football team. The symbol, however, has ancient roots going back to Egypt and Babylonia.
It is hard to pin down a decent definition of the word, "glyph." Some people define it as a typographical mark that has a specific meaning. For instance, if you leave the dot off of the lower case letter "i, " most languages still read it as the letter it is meant to be. In Turkey, however, the letter "i" without the dot means something different from the same letter with the dot. So, in the English language, "i" without the dot is not a glyph; in Turkish, it is a glyph.
Take the Japanese language. It is made up of groups of written symbols, called syllabaries, that within themselves don't mean anything until they are put together with other syllabaries. Diacritics qualify for the status of glyph because they differentiate characters from each other.
So what is the FDL a glyph for, other than beer, snacks, television and, when the Saints don't make the Super Bowl, heartbreak. Apparently, an early Egyptian symbol for an asp, or snake, is believed by some to have been a prototype for the world's first "flower of life." Others say that it is an ancient Roman symbol for fidelity.
It goes back to the 11th century, when France came out of the Dark Ages. Clovis I, the first king of the civilization that was to later become the French, who had never heard of football or the Astrodome, was said to have received a fleur straight from Heaven. His eventual successor, King Philip I of what we now call France, incorporated the lovely lily into his insignia.
England took the symbol and morphed it into something suitable for its own royalty. Today, it is the symbol for the Prince of Wales. Prince Charles of England uses it. His logo looks like three feathers sticking out of a crown.
How did the FDL glyph come to rest in Louisiana. In 1682, when the French explorer, Sieur de La Salle, planted his flag in the Mississippi Valley in the name of French royal family, he planted a white banner, bearing a gold fleur de lis, at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The glyph finally arrived in the city of New Orleans in the hands of French settlers who used it in their flag. The fleur was finally home. It has represented The Big Easy for centuries in jewelry, architecture, art and football helmets. There is no "official" fleur. Over the centuries, it has been seen in many different forms and colors.
It is hard to pin down a decent definition of the word, "glyph." Some people define it as a typographical mark that has a specific meaning. For instance, if you leave the dot off of the lower case letter "i, " most languages still read it as the letter it is meant to be. In Turkey, however, the letter "i" without the dot means something different from the same letter with the dot. So, in the English language, "i" without the dot is not a glyph; in Turkish, it is a glyph.
Take the Japanese language. It is made up of groups of written symbols, called syllabaries, that within themselves don't mean anything until they are put together with other syllabaries. Diacritics qualify for the status of glyph because they differentiate characters from each other.
So what is the FDL a glyph for, other than beer, snacks, television and, when the Saints don't make the Super Bowl, heartbreak. Apparently, an early Egyptian symbol for an asp, or snake, is believed by some to have been a prototype for the world's first "flower of life." Others say that it is an ancient Roman symbol for fidelity.
It goes back to the 11th century, when France came out of the Dark Ages. Clovis I, the first king of the civilization that was to later become the French, who had never heard of football or the Astrodome, was said to have received a fleur straight from Heaven. His eventual successor, King Philip I of what we now call France, incorporated the lovely lily into his insignia.
England took the symbol and morphed it into something suitable for its own royalty. Today, it is the symbol for the Prince of Wales. Prince Charles of England uses it. His logo looks like three feathers sticking out of a crown.
How did the FDL glyph come to rest in Louisiana. In 1682, when the French explorer, Sieur de La Salle, planted his flag in the Mississippi Valley in the name of French royal family, he planted a white banner, bearing a gold fleur de lis, at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The glyph finally arrived in the city of New Orleans in the hands of French settlers who used it in their flag. The fleur was finally home. It has represented The Big Easy for centuries in jewelry, architecture, art and football helmets. There is no "official" fleur. Over the centuries, it has been seen in many different forms and colors.
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