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.
Defining glyph is not easy. It is sort of a part of a typographical character with a meaning all its own. The French cedilla, for example, looks like a comma all by itself. Attach it to a letter "c" and it becomes obvious that it alters the pronunciation of the letter. By itself, nothing; attached to a letter "c" in something written in French, it's a glyph.
It becomes even clearer when you think of languages like Japanese, that use syllabaries. These are made up of little marks that on their own mean nothing but, together in a "word, " they mean something. A diacritical mark is another form of glyph. Think of the German umlaut, the two dots above a letter. Alone, they look like a sleeping colon; above a letter, they help you pronounce it.
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.
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.
The United Kingdom liked it so much they tweaked it and adapted it for its own royal family. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, uses it today. His version looks like three fluffy white 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.
French settlers migrated from Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. The glyph came home. It has represented the Big Easy in art, cinema, architecture, jewelry and football mugs. There is no single, right fleur de lis. Over the centuries, it has adopted hundreds of different colors and styles.
Defining glyph is not easy. It is sort of a part of a typographical character with a meaning all its own. The French cedilla, for example, looks like a comma all by itself. Attach it to a letter "c" and it becomes obvious that it alters the pronunciation of the letter. By itself, nothing; attached to a letter "c" in something written in French, it's a glyph.
It becomes even clearer when you think of languages like Japanese, that use syllabaries. These are made up of little marks that on their own mean nothing but, together in a "word, " they mean something. A diacritical mark is another form of glyph. Think of the German umlaut, the two dots above a letter. Alone, they look like a sleeping colon; above a letter, they help you pronounce it.
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.
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.
The United Kingdom liked it so much they tweaked it and adapted it for its own royal family. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, uses it today. His version looks like three fluffy white 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.
French settlers migrated from Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. The glyph came home. It has represented the Big Easy in art, cinema, architecture, jewelry and football mugs. There is no single, right fleur de lis. Over the centuries, it has adopted hundreds of different colors and styles.
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