THE MEANDROS

THE MEANDROS

meandros.bmp (5974 bytes)

The Symbol of the Ancient Hellenic Traditions

The Meandros or Hellenic Key : a few months ago the matter of selecting a symbol for the Hellenic came up in discussions. We found many very appealing designs, some simple and others quite elaborate, but all had the same problem. It is very difficult to choose one symbol to represent all the different mystery traditions of the ancient Hellenic city-states. Essentially there are as many traditions as there are deities and of course each have their symbolism. It became clear that we had to find a symbol that would be somewhat universal to all Hellenic traditions and at the same time, as a symbol, easily recognizeable to be Hellenic. We weren't getting very far and the subject began heading for the "back-burner", again. Recently the matter was brought up on an e-mail list called Olympos-L, and our attenetion was brought back to the dilemma. After reading the postings of that thread, we have concluded that the best symbol that we may use would be the Hellenic Key or Meandros. It is both simple and mysterious. Upon studying the design, many different interpretations may be given, such as it is shaped like a key, or as the lightening bolt of Zeus or the labyrinth of the Minoans and still can be interpreted in a Ying-Yang fashion. There are still numerous interpretations to find for oneself. It's specific use in the tradition is in the same capacity as the cross is for Christians, the Ying-Yang for Taoists, etc.