What is a glyph, apart from a strange-sounding word. Street talk for "hieroglyphic." The best known example of a glyph today is the New Orleans fleur de lis. The two symbols are synonymous, you just can't picture one without the other. American football fans recognize it immediately as the icon for the NFL football team, the New Orleans Saints. It may come as a surprise that the glyph has its roots hundreds of years ago in ancient Egypt.
It isn't easy pinning down a meaningful definition of the word, "glyph." At its most basic, it is a type of mark that is meaningless by itself but completely changes the meaning of what other symbol it is attached to. It makes more sense to think of a specific example. Take the lower case letter, "i." Without the dot, most of us would still recognize it in context. In Turkey, however, there are two letter "i's, " one with and one without the dot. Because the presence or absence of the dot is hugely meaningful, it qualifies as 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.
The origin of the fleur de lis is uncertain. Some people think it is Roman for fidelity. Others say it symbolized the asp in early Egypt. Somehow, this translates to a prototype for the flower of life. Today, it means hot dogs, beer and the Astrodome, the world's first indoor football stadium.
The glyph we know and love today goes back to early 11th century France, or rather, the patch of land that was to later become known as France. The first king of what would later become France (Frank), was Clovis I. He is said to have been handed a fleur down from Heaven itself. Later, Philip I, the first King of actual France, integrated it as part of his own royal insignia.
Later, the British tweaked it a little bit here and there and assigned it to its own Welsh Prince. Prince Charles, the current Prince of Wales, uses it in his own coat of arms. His crest bears an elegant representation of three regal white feathers threaded through a royal crown.
Now, the glyph is getting closer to home. The French explorer, Sieur de La Salle, came over and laid claim to the Mississippi valley, albeit temporarily, as French territory. In the process, he stuck a flag at the mouth of the river of the same name. The flag bore a fleur de lis. The banner that he used consisted of a patch of white cloth bearing a golden flower of life.
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 isn't easy pinning down a meaningful definition of the word, "glyph." At its most basic, it is a type of mark that is meaningless by itself but completely changes the meaning of what other symbol it is attached to. It makes more sense to think of a specific example. Take the lower case letter, "i." Without the dot, most of us would still recognize it in context. In Turkey, however, there are two letter "i's, " one with and one without the dot. Because the presence or absence of the dot is hugely meaningful, it qualifies as 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.
The origin of the fleur de lis is uncertain. Some people think it is Roman for fidelity. Others say it symbolized the asp in early Egypt. Somehow, this translates to a prototype for the flower of life. Today, it means hot dogs, beer and the Astrodome, the world's first indoor football stadium.
The glyph we know and love today goes back to early 11th century France, or rather, the patch of land that was to later become known as France. The first king of what would later become France (Frank), was Clovis I. He is said to have been handed a fleur down from Heaven itself. Later, Philip I, the first King of actual France, integrated it as part of his own royal insignia.
Later, the British tweaked it a little bit here and there and assigned it to its own Welsh Prince. Prince Charles, the current Prince of Wales, uses it in his own coat of arms. His crest bears an elegant representation of three regal white feathers threaded through a royal crown.
Now, the glyph is getting closer to home. The French explorer, Sieur de La Salle, came over and laid claim to the Mississippi valley, albeit temporarily, as French territory. In the process, he stuck a flag at the mouth of the river of the same name. The flag bore a fleur de lis. The banner that he used consisted of a patch of white cloth bearing a golden flower of life.
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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