Equal-armed cross
The equal-armed cross, also referred to as the square cross, the balanced cross, and the peaceful cross, is a cross, consisting of two intersecting lines, usually perpendicular to each other, with all arms of equal length. The Greek cross is an equal-armed cross with the lines running vertically and horizontally. The saltire is a diagonal equal-armed cross, sometimes with the two intersecting lines that are not perpendicular to each other. Equal-armed crosses are symbols that have been found since ancient times in different cultures and traditions throughout the world.
Significance
[edit]It is often interpreted as representing either the four seasons, four winds, four elements, or some other aspect of physical nature.[1]
In the Albanian tradition the equal-armed cross (and its variant swastika) is the traditional way to symbolize the deified Fire – Zjarri, evidently also called with the theonym Enji.[2][3] They are commonly found in a variety of contexts of Albanian folk art, including traditional tattooing, grave art, jewellery, embroidery, and house carvings.
Other
[edit]
An equal-armed cross (often within a circle) represents the planet Earth in traditional astrological/astronomical symbols. The cross could also be used to represent the union between male and female.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Duchane, Sangeet; Priya Hemenway (2005). Beyond the Da Vinci Code: From the Rose Line to the Bloodline. Amy Ray. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-7607-6625-5.
- ^ Treimer, Karl (1971). "Zur Rückerschliessung der illyrischen Götterwelt und ihre Bedeutung für die südslawische Philologie". In Henrik Barić (ed.). Arhiv za Arbanasku starinu, jezik i etnologiju. Vol. I. R. Trofenik. pp. 27–33. p. 32.
- ^ Murray-Aynsley, J. C. (1891). "Swastika". Ars Quatuor Coronatorum. IV: 29, 31.
- ^ Stewart, Michael James Alexander; Walid Amine Salhab (2007). The Knights Templar of the Middle East: The Hidden History of the Islamic Origins of Freemasonry. Weiser. ISBN 978-1-57863-346-3.