melkior
Junior Member
Nice Hat!
Posts: 84
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Post by melkior on Jun 16, 2013 9:41:58 GMT
I've done a little research on the alchemical symbols used in GC and I decided I may as well put the info here. I'd be honored if this post was thought important enough to pin.  Obviously, Antimony's symbol is Antimony.    The symbols on the Court's banner in panel 1 on page 1149 are two different symbols for Bismuth followed by the symbol for the sun (Sol) which is also used sometimes for gold.  The symbol for the Protector of the Court (pg51 pn4 & pg1154 pn3) is the symbol for Lead.  Reynard's symbol is the symbol for Mercury (pg52 pn5 & two following pages). It's interesting that the symbols for Mercury and Antimony are so similar... :-) Update: Compare Rey's Mercury symbol and the Antimony symbol on the doll on page 54. Also compare the Antimony symbols on pages 80 and 214. The symbol Rey is now displaying (pg.1221) is different. It looks very much like a combination of the two symbols. Hetty's symbol seems to be a combination of three symbols,  Oil;  Oil essence and  Phosphorus. I'm guessing the "oil" refers to her "smooth talking" (oily), the essence refers to how she continually brings up the past and wants revenge (essence is smell which can be a powerful reminder of past events) and phosphorus both glows in the dark thus drawing attention to itself and also is very flammable (Hetty seems to want to inflame hatred in others). I haven't been able to find an alchemical symbol which looks like Kat's (Diego's) symbol, so I'm going to presume that it's one or more of: too obscure to be on the internet; an ancient symbol but not connected to alchemy; a hodgepodge symbol combining elements from alchemical symbols or a totally made-up symbol. Let's make this thread a knowledge base. But don't add a symbol here unless it appears in the comic somewhere and always point to where the symbol appears if you're going to define it. Edit 2013/07/06: Updated information on Hetty's symbol. |
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Post by philman on Jun 16, 2013 12:03:25 GMT
Of the other alchemical symbols that have turned up so far we have fire, water and the moon/silver I think off the top of my head. (I would post links but is a pain to look up as I'm on a phone!) Check out the searchable database of comics for a larger list ( gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/thread/1883/searchable-database-comics (still under construction)). There are several electronics symbols used as well, especially among the robots, and several that tom seems to have made up himself such as kat/Diego and the court and forest blinker symbols. |
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Post by Señor Goose on Jun 17, 2013 0:30:35 GMT
Whoa, Renard's symbol means Mercury?
Quicksilver is an old name for Mercury. Good to know that the chapter was supposed to be about Renard the whole time.
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Post by snipertom on Jun 17, 2013 3:06:30 GMT
The more and more I've spent analysing GKC for the database, the more intricate and planned I've realised that it is! It's very rich in symbolism, alchemical and otherwise. Tom's obviously been planning it for months-years before executing it. I really and honestly do think it's probably the best webcomic ever. The characters, plot, setting, symbolism, art, writing, all of it is excellent; there isn't a weak spot. I'm mystified however by what this particular symbol in the Donlan's House is:   I've tagged it as a silver symbol but I'm not convinced that that's what it is. btw, we're only close to completing the first pass through the tags and need help with identifying all the instances of symbols as well as just other general stuff, please to feel free to contribute to it either here in this thread, the database thread |
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Post by GK Sierra on Jun 17, 2013 3:19:01 GMT
The only person with the power to pin things is my2k and Tom. The former has stopped coming to the forum and the latter doesn't have much to do with us except to get rid of spam when pestered.
Anyway, it's not really necessary since the forum moves so slow. You'll notice that other staple threads like The Boxbot Rule, The Introduction Thread and I Saw An Opportunity are simply bumped to back to the front page when necessary.
It's pretty remarkable, I think; thousands of users and I can only recall one or two instances where Tom had to heft the banhammer, ever. This community does a great job at not being assholes.
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Post by cannister on Jun 17, 2013 4:05:25 GMT
Whoa, Renard's symbol means Mercury? Quicksilver is an old name for Mercury. Good to know that the chapter was supposed to be about Renard the whole time. I'm pretty sure Mercury is Coyote's. |
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Post by Corvo on Jun 17, 2013 4:31:46 GMT
The more and more I've spent analysing GKC for the database, the more intricate and planned I've realised that it is! It's very rich in symbolism, alchemical and otherwise. Tom's obviously been planning it for months-years before executing it. I really and honestly do think it's probably the best webcomic ever. The characters, plot, setting, symbolism, art, writing, all of it is excellent; there isn't a weak spot. I'm mystified however by what this particular symbol in the Donlan's House is: I've tagged it as a silver symbol but I'm not convinced that that's what it is. btw, we're only close to completing the first pass through the tags and need help with identifying all the instances of symbols as well as just other general stuff, please to feel free to contribute to it either here in this thread, the database thread My exact thoughts! Also, I think of this symbol as the "Donlan Symbol", since it's always connected with the family somehow. It's also in Anja's computer. No idea of the meaning though. I'm pretty sure Mercury is Coyote's. Because the switching bodies power came from him? Maybe it's connected with the power itself, you know. |
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Post by Mezzaphor on Jun 17, 2013 5:27:03 GMT
Yes, the Mercury/quicksilver symbol is associated with the bodysnatching power itself, rather than associated with one character.
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Post by Corvo on Jun 17, 2013 5:31:09 GMT
Yes, the Mercury/quicksilver symbol is associated with the bodysnatching power itself, rather than associated with one character. It's a theory. Of course, Rey is the one with this power now, and I don't know if he can give this power to anyone else. Tom stated Coyote can't take it back. So... |
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Post by Corvo on Jun 17, 2013 5:37:41 GMT
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Post by snipertom on Jun 17, 2013 5:41:51 GMT
DonlanSymbol it is! Surely it's meant to at least resemble the silver and ether symbols even if it isn't one?
Silver is apparently associated with femininity, the moon, intuition and other things
The ether or phlogiston or quintessence was meant to be what filled empty space and what space and celestial/heavenly bodies were composed of; in Gunnerkrigg, the ether is an alternate spiritual plane?
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Post by snipertom on Jun 17, 2013 5:46:09 GMT
Hmm, so the spiral can represent water and power; water is traditionally associated with feelings, femininity, love, change... and Kat.
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Post by Corvo on Jun 17, 2013 5:54:30 GMT
DonlanSymbol it is! Surely it's meant to at least resemble the silver and ether symbols even if it isn't one? Silver is apparently associated with femininity, the moon, intuition and other things The ether or phlogiston or quintessence was meant to be what filled empty space and what space and celestial/heavenly bodies were composed of; in Gunnerkrigg, the ether is an alternate spiritual plane? Something like that, it seems. On a side note, I really like how the clockwise spiral, which is part of the DonlanSymbol, is connected with water. Makes me think of the first treatise, probably the only other time when we can associate Kat with the element Water. Must be only coincidence, but who knows... Maybe the Donlans secretly are mermaids, haha. |
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Post by Corvo on Jun 17, 2013 5:55:23 GMT
Hmm, so the spiral can represent water and power; water is traditionally associated with feelings, femininity, love, change... and Kat. Damn ninjas! |
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Post by snipertom on Jun 17, 2013 6:38:50 GMT
here is a water spiral:  |
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Post by Corvo on Jun 17, 2013 6:47:05 GMT
here is a water spiral: Wow, that's like, eight times more water power than a simple spiral! And classy too! |
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Post by GK Sierra on Jun 17, 2013 7:07:52 GMT
Now we need to use technology to develop actual top hats for octopi, and the purpose of the human race will have been fulfilled.
Sounds like a job for DARPA.
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Post by snipertom on Jun 17, 2013 7:30:28 GMT
Quick, to the DARPA-net! I bet there's someone there who can help us!
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Post by GK Sierra on Jun 17, 2013 7:37:06 GMT
Quick, to the DARPA-net! I bet there's someone there who can help us! It says... 4... 0... 4... top... hat... not... found...  |
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melkior
Junior Member
Nice Hat!
Posts: 84
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Post by melkior on Jun 18, 2013 8:29:23 GMT
It's been fun, but let's dismiss the top hats and octopi (octopuses if you like) and get back to the subject at hand (or at tentacle if you're an octopus). ;-)
Examining the links kindly provided by Corvo, I speculate that the Donlan Symbol is a combination of the symbols for "basis of change", possibly the symbol for "sun" (or maybe "moon" or the circle could just represent connection) and the symbol for "power". This would make sense because the symbol causes change and it would need power from somewhere, even if it's etheric power.
I'm not ruling out the possibility that part of the symbol also represents silver, but I'm using Occam's Razor by trying not to read more into the symbol than needs to be there.
The symbols on the banner at the start of Chapter 5 are Zeta and Gamma, with Bismuth in the middle. Pretty obvious since that chapter introduced us to Zimmy whose real name is Zeta and her companion, Gamma.
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Post by Corvo on Jun 18, 2013 9:17:55 GMT
The symbols on the banner at the start of Chapter 5 are Zeta and Gamma, with Bismuth in the middle. Pretty obvious since that chapter introduced us to Zimmy whose real name is Zeta and her companion, Gamma. Dude, don't want to be a party pooper, but I think you're on a fool's errand here. It's already done. All tagged.  |
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Post by snipertom on Jun 18, 2013 9:28:12 GMT
The symbols on the banner at the start of Chapter 5 are Zeta and Gamma, with Bismuth in the middle. Pretty obvious since that chapter introduced us to Zimmy whose real name is Zeta and her companion, Gamma. Dude, don't want to be a party pooper, but I think you're on a fool's errand here. It's already done. All tagged. Useful thread for discussing the actual symbolism though I think? |
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Post by cannister on Jun 18, 2013 16:20:40 GMT
octopi (octopuses if you like) Octopodes, in fact.  |
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Post by philman on Jun 18, 2013 17:17:57 GMT
octopi (octopuses if you like) Octopodes, in fact. Octopuses is correct, Octopodes is correct for pedants, Octopi is just wrong due to Octopus being greek not latin. On a more serious note, yes the symbols are mostly all done and the tagging has created a simple lookup resource, but I don't think there's any harm in a thread to discuss the symbols. Especially not to newcomers. Although the Antimony, Lead, Gamma or Zeta symbols are old news to most of the regular forum goers, there are always going to be newcomers to the comic who don't know all the symbolism yet and to who all this is new! |
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Post by GK Sierra on Jun 18, 2013 17:50:42 GMT
Really? I've been saying it wrong all these years?
I am horrified. What must the octopodes think of me?
I BEG YOUR PARDON GENTLE SEA CREATURES
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Post by louisxiv on Jun 18, 2013 19:36:51 GMT
Octopodes, in fact. Octopuses is correct, Octopodes is correct for pedants, Octopi is just wrong due to Octopus being greek not latin. On a more serious note, yes the symbols are mostly all done and the tagging has created a simple lookup resource, but I don't think there's any harm in a thread to discuss the symbols. Especially not to newcomers. Although the Antimony, Lead, Gamma or Zeta symbols are old news to most of the regular forum goers, there are always going to be newcomers to the comic who don't know all the symbolism yet and to who all this is new! We need an AllSymbols tag to pull them all together, perhaps? |
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Post by philman on Jun 18, 2013 20:05:06 GMT
Octopuses is correct, Octopodes is correct for pedants, Octopi is just wrong due to Octopus being greek not latin. On a more serious note, yes the symbols are mostly all done and the tagging has created a simple lookup resource, but I don't think there's any harm in a thread to discuss the symbols. Especially not to newcomers. Although the Antimony, Lead, Gamma or Zeta symbols are old news to most of the regular forum goers, there are always going to be newcomers to the comic who don't know all the symbolism yet and to who all this is new! We need an AllSymbols tag to pull them all together, perhaps? I thought the plan was to link the tags via a Symbols category, to go with the proposed Characters and Places categories? |
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Post by louisxiv on Jun 18, 2013 20:40:29 GMT
Put aside for further thought was my impression. An AllSymbols tag is effectively the same thing if we do it, but a text search for 'symbol' actually does much the same job in this case.
(Is it just me or are other people having proboards reset while they try to reply?)
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Post by philman on Jun 18, 2013 21:03:15 GMT
(Is it just me or are other people having proboards reset while they try to reply?) Nope, had that a couple of times definately. |
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Post by snipertom on Jun 19, 2013 4:52:59 GMT
Sometimes it throws errors or just dies :/
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