From: David_Lebling@avid.com
Subject: (whorl) Silk's cross
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 97 09:49:41 


[Posted from Whorl, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun]

On the subject of crosses, I found

http://www.amulet.co.uk/symbols/crosses/

which has illustrations of more forms of cross than you've ever seen
before.  My suggestion for Silk's cross is listed as "Gammadion (1)". I
don't think the arms being equal makes them any less gamma-like, by the
way.

To answer someones question, a "fylfot" is a four-legged (as opposed to
four-gamma'd) symbol resembling a cross.

The word is derived from "full (of) foot". It generally is (incorrectly)
identified with the gammadion or swastika today, huffs the OED.

I can't draw one in ascii, but interestingly enough, it is one of a
family of symbols made from (running or flexed) human legs. The other
well-known one is the triskele, a three footed figure. Severian's dog
was named Triskele, of course.

     Dave
     (david_lebling@avid.com)

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