Everyday we interact with others – often with symbols or phrases whose origins are now long forgotten. This list explores some of the most common of these phrases, traditions, and gestures. If you know of others, be sure to share them in the comments for all to learn about.

Lovers of mysteries know that a “red herring” is a false clue given to divert attention from the track of the real criminal. This one, however, began with an actual fish. Bloodhounds, the sharpest trackers in the world, are difficult to lose when on a scent. But a red herring, especially if it is a day or two out of the water, can produce a scent strong enough to confuse any hound if the fish is drug on the ground behind the escaping criminal.

Shaking hands in greeting or to seal a contract has been done since at least the second century BC. The gesture demonstrates that the hand holds no weapon, and is a symbol of good sportsmanship, equality, and trust. Shaking the right hands sealed a bargain, but it was important not to use the left hand, as the left hand handshake dissolved a bargain.

For many years, American president Theodore Roosevelt held the world record for handshakes. On January 1, 1907, President Roosevelt shook 8, 513 hands at a White House reception. The record was broken in July, 19 77 by a New Jersey mayor, Joseph Lazaron, who shook 11,000 hands in a single day.

The two-finger V sign has had prominent displays. Many people remember American president Richard Nixon flashing a V, and Winston Churchill, who used it to stand for victory. Churchill turned the V around with the palm facing outward to avoid the obscene connotation the symbol has acquired in Great Britain if performed with the palm facing inward.

In the 1960s, the V became a symbol for peace. Today it is commonly used as a peace sign, the signature greeting of celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan. The V sign was first used, as far as we know, by British bowmen after winning the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The French bowmen had threatened to cut off the first two fingers – those that hold the arrow in place – of the British bowmen. After the battle, the British archers flashed their first two fingers to show that they were still intact. [Verification – Massey University]

The custom of blessing a person who sneezes has various origins. It was once thought that sneezing might release one’s soul, which was then prey to lurking evil spirits, so a person needed to be blessed. It was therefore considered bad luck to open the mouth again to thank the person for the blessing, as the evil spirits would have another chance to enter.

Another theory is that sneezing was an indication of robust good health, and that blessing the person sneezing was a form of congratulation. Most responses to sneezes, such as the German “Geshundheit!” wish the sneezer good health and/or a long life.

The thumbs up sign is most commonly (but wrongly) thought to descend from gladiatorial contests in which the audience determined whether the combatant was eligible to live or die by a thumbs up/ thumbs down vote. But there are other theories. There is a old English saying ‘Here’s my thumb on it!’ which was used to seal a bargain. The two people involved each wetted a thumb and then extended it, held upwards, until the two raised thumbs came into contact with one another. It is easy to see how this custom could lead to, or support the idea of holding out a raised thumb as a sign of friendly agreement or approval. The signal has also been used by some ape species, who may just be celebrating the fact that they, like we, have opposable thumbs in the first place.

The military salute is traditionally performed by touching the eyebrow with four fingers together. Roman soldiers are thought to have initiated the procedure as a sign of shielding their eyes from the great light of their superior officers. Knights may have used it to raise their helmets as an indication that they did not intend to fight. This theory is supported by the fact that the helmet on a suit of armor is called a “sallet,” very close to the word “salute.”

The so-called Roman salute, used in the 20th century as a symbol of Fascism, has no Roman record in discourse or art. In Germany, that salute is now prohibited, punishable by up to three years in prison.

Crossing your fingers to hope for good luck used to require two people – the forefinger of one to make the wish, and of the other to support it. The cross formed was a symbol of unity and strength, and was used to ward off witches. Crossing your fingers, of course, can also be used to nullify a promise. In that case, the middle finger crossing over the index finger leaves a loophole the false promiser plans to exploit.

Rochambeau, or rock, paper, scissors, is played all over the world as a means of resolving difficult disagreements. In one unusual case, a Florida judge tired of endless debating over the appropriate venue for depositions to be taken and ordered the participants to settle the case by an RPS game.

In Indonesia, it is earwig, human, and elephant. The earwig drives the elephant insane. The human crushes the earwig, and the elephant crushes the human. One amazingly complex version has 101 different gestures and 5050 possible non-tied results. If you’re ready to take it to another level, consult the World RPS Society. If you find out why it is called Rochambeau, please let them know. It’s still a mystery.

The source of the ubiquitous “OK” or “Okay” is lost to history, but there are many theories. One is that in the 1830s there was a rash of comic misspellings and shortened communications. NG was commonly read to mean, “No go.” SP meant small potatoes, and OK stood for “Oll Korrect.”
Another theory is that the symbol represented American president Martin Van Buren, often referred to as “Old Kinderhook.” Others say that French soldiers during the American revolution would invite girls to meet them “aux cayes,” down at the docks.

Still another possibility is that bad handwriting caused the OK to flourish. It should have been OR – standing for “order received.” Others think that Obadiah Kelley, an early railroad agent, certified bills with his initials. It is often said that American president Andrew Jackson learned a similar word from Choctaw Native Americans and popularized it. What do you think?

Most historians agree that Christ was most likely born in the spring, when Mary and Joseph went to pay their taxes. If that is the case, why do we celebrate Christmas in the wintertime? Pope Gregory can be thanked. He ordered the absorption of other religious festivals into Christianity. Pagan celebrations lightened the burden of cold, dark winters, and evergreen trees were a symbol of hope, that spring and new life would return. It was a natural fit with Christ’s promise of resurrection.

Christmas trees as we know them probably began in the 16th century. It is said that Martin Luther, walking home at night, saw stars through the branches of evergreens and found it a beautiful sight. When he duplicated the effect by putting candles on an evergreen, the modern Christmas tree was born.

Early Christians in the English-speaking world avoided Christmas trees, seeing them as a pagan custom. They became popular in America in the 1820s among Pennsylvania Germans, and the idea spread from there.

St. Nikolaas himself actually lived in Turkey in the 4th century. Known for his kindness and generosity, he was a delegate to Constantine’s Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. His name was eventually shortened from St. Nikolaas to Sinterklaas, and to Santa Claus.

Candy canes? Formed into shepherds’ staffs in the 1700s to transform a simple candy into a Christian symbol. Holly? Christ’s crown of thorns. Gift-giving? What the Wise Men started. Carols? What the angels sang. A star atop the tree? The new star said to have been first seen on the night of Christ’s birth.

Many well-meaning Christians are upset by Xmas, rather than Christmas, on Christmas cards and greetings. They see the X as a way to “take Christ out of Christmas.” Actually, the opposite is true. X is the Greek letter Chi, the first letter of the word Christ. It was used originally to prevent the disrespectful overuse of the Savior’s title in greetings and correspondence.

Those of us who spend far too much time glued to a screen (yes, you, gentle reader) will often forget that the world we inhabit is pretty old. It is easy to feel as though we exist in a brave new world—a digitalized space that is constantly reinventing itself. But take a walk, have a look around, speak to some older people. Relics of ages passed will soon emerge.

If you live in a place where humans have built civilizations for at least a few hundred or thousand years, you’ll notice carvings on buildings, see peculiar costumes at festivals, and hear and read stories that feature curious motifs and characters. These artifacts of our cultures are all around us. Here’s a list of some of the coolest folk motifs from around the globe.

Related: 10 Creepy Tales From English Folklore

10 The Green Man, Britain

The Medieval era in Europe was a time of great transition. At the beginning, the Western Roman Empire was falling, and Christianity was on the up and up. By the end, we welcomed the Renaissance, and the seeds of the Enlightenment were beginning to sprout. However, some older traditions—elements of a pre-Christian time—stubbornly hung around. In Britain, people still danced around maypoles, continued to use ancient languages, and told tales from before the coming of the gospels. They clung to superstitions, habits, and imagery from this by-gone age. Still do.

The Green Man, the ever-present foliate head that gurns at worshippers from carved wooden elements and stone pillars in many churches, is the foremost example of this.

The figure is a remnant of the nature-focused religious practices that pre-date the Roman occupation of Britain, an omen that brings good fortune for harvests and warns man that to fully leave nature is to invite it as an enemy.

It may seem strange to the modern devoted Protestant Christian to see such blatantly paganistic iconography adorn the architecture of churches. But one must keep in mind that to convince large numbers of people of the value of the “new,” one must bring along the positive aspect of the “old”—the inhabitants of pagan Britannia needed a bit of nostalgia. Found all over Great Britain, this ancient symbol proves that even on a building as ancient as a medieval-era cathedral, older elements come along too.^[1]

9 Potnia Theron, the Mediterranean and Near East

The Eastern kissing cousin to the Green Man is the image of the “Master of Beasts,” a cross-cultural depiction of a man holding wild animals aloft as though their master. Unlike its Brythonic cousin, the Master of Beasts shows mastery, or an interwoven relationship, with animals instead of nature in general (or plant-life, more specifically). But this image is rarely as cool as depictions of the “Potnia Theron”—the Mistress of Beasts.

The earliest example of this motif dates from 6,000 BC, a clay figurine depicting a seated female figure flanked by two lionesses uncovered in the Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük in modern-day Turkey. This image spread all over the Mediterranean and Near East. It symbolizes mankind’s dominance over animals—defense from husbandry and hunting…possibly.

Truth be told, we don’t know the true meaning. Depictions of this figure are found in Mycenaean Greek religion—the image used to signify the Goddesses Artemis (goddess of the hunt and the wilderness) and Cybele. She is the fascinating goddess that found her way into the Greek pantheon from Asia Minor, near Çatalhöyük. She was viewed as a “foreign” mother goddess and, rather uniquely in ancient Greece, had a sect of castrated priests who followed her.^[2]

8 Nain Rouge, Detroit, Michigan

Now to a more modern form of folk culture. In the city of Detroit, Michigan, there is a symbol that pops up all over the famed “Motor City,” one that evokes dread in little kids who hear stories of his exploits and joy for partygoers during the springtime Marche du Nain Rouge parade.

And (unfortunately) a hipsterish delight for frequenters of the city’s trendier businesses that sport the image as a “keeeewl retro mascot, bruh.” Who can blame them? A tradition that began to fall out of favor: check. Partially derived from indigenous culture: BIG check. Looks like the devil, thus allowing for them to show antipathy to Abrahamic religions: GET THEE ALONGSIDE ME, BABY SATAN!

Love from annoying, mustachioed skinny-jean sporting losers aside, this devilish little imp is a mainstay in Detroit culture, part of the area’s consciousness since way back when it was a French settlement. Popular folk history suggests the Nain Rouge is probably derived from the Norman-French hobgoblin known as a “lutin” merged with local Native American mythical beings—the type of syncretic figure found all over the Americas. Both sets of traditions describe small, demonic beings that seek to cause mischief and bring bad luck. The aforementioned springtime parade is designed to drive this portent of bad luck from the city for the rest of the year.^[3]

7 Onryō, Japan

Sometimes ancient traditions get an unexpected, and often very welcome, reimagining in contemporary culture. The belief in ghosts and spirits, especially malevolent ones, has a long and storied history in Japan. A will for vengeance against those who have wronged you is a deep and abiding part of traditional Japanese culture—to dishonor is unforgivable. The unfortunate thing about humans is we are weak, squishy meat sacks that can easily be dispatched with a well-aimed chop from a katana. How could such a bifurcated individual get their deserved vengeance?

They become a ghost. And, if long-established Japanese tales are anything to go by, they do it a lot.

The coolest thing about this folk motif is how it has moved into modern culture. One of the strongest traditions of contemporary horror is found in the Land of the Rising Sun. Nowhere is this more apparent than in J-Horror movies—blockbusters like Ringu and Ju-On especially. Both these franchises have something in common: they spawned questionable Hollywood re-makes and feature an Onryō as the primary antagonist—creepy female ghosts with long, black hair and white funerary attire, inspired by the costumes worn by such characters in Edo-era Kabuki performances.

The influence of these ancient Japanese monstrosities can be seen in almost any post-2005 supernatural horror flick, arguably spurring the move away from the slasher movie genre’s dominance at the box office. And all that from a clutch of spooky stories from feudal Japan…^[4]

6 El Hombre Caiman, Colombia

Most of these folk motifs have a cool story that goes along with them, even if many of them have been lost in the mists of time. One of the best examples of this comes from the Caribbean-facing coast of Colombia: the legend of the “Alligator Man.”

The story tells of a young man who lived near the Magdalena River. All this horny little brute loved to do was spy on the women as they came to the river to bathe. He found a good spot in the thick undergrowth to conceal himself and watch the ladies in the river. One day, he was spotted. He fled deep into the forest, where he came upon a witch. He begged the witch to help him conceal himself more effectively so he could continue to stare at naked women. The witch agreed and brewed up two potions for the young horn-dog—one that’d turn him into an alligator (so he could lie down on the riverbed and look up at all the bathing beauties) and one to turn him back into a man.

The pair went down to the river to test out the potions. When the witch saw that the first one had worked—the man was sloshing around in a reptilian form—she got very excited, dropping the other potion into the water. Unfortunately, the potion only turned the man’s upper half back, leaving his nether regions scaly and green. When the man angrily demanded the witch solve this problem, she denied him, cursing him to remain that way forevermore.

What a yarn! So cool is this little folk tale that the town of Plato near the Magdalena River has a huge statue of the semi-crocodilian perv. And just when you thought mermaids were always sexy…^[5]

5 Shetani, East Africa and the Island of Zanzibar

Dog-headed demons, hideous stunted hags, strange Dali-esque elephants; these are the sorts of carved sculptures you can expect to find everywhere in Mozambique, Tanzania, parts of Kenya, and the island of Zanzibar. These are the Shetani—the “devils.” In fact, they are derived from the same Semitic root that gives rise to the Islamic “Shaitan” and the Christian “Satan.”

Beyond these cool-looking sculptures and creepy folk tales, many modern East Africans believe in the Shetani very seriously. Recall the mass-hysteria-fueled panic that occurred on Zanzibar in 2001 when locals claimed that Popo Bawa, a bat-winged Shetani, was attacking victims. The BBC reported: “The ghost or genie goes by the name of Popo Bawa, and people believe that it sodomizes its victims, most of whom are men.” Yeesh.

Cultic practices surrounding these beings also occur across East Africa, proving that some ancient traditions can remain vibrant in more than just architecture and song.^[6]

4 Woyo Tribal Masks, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola

These incredibly expressive masks are worn by the Woyo people, a group living on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa. They are worn at ritual dances by the “ndunga,” the group tasked to keep societal order and maintain the tribal laws. Imagine your local copper pulling you over on the highway, tapping on your car window wearing one of these masks.

What’s scarier is that these men will don these masks to carry out their duties—tracking down suspected criminals and witches, those blamed for causing natural disasters like droughts or flooding, even poor harvests. Each mask is said to have its own unique “character,” usually revealed during ritual dances.^[7]

3 The Night Hag, Worldwide

There are very few traditions, motifs, or stories that can be found the world over. However, an extremely curious (and, when you think about it, terrifying) character that shows up all over the globe is the “Night Hag” or “Old Hag.” This wizened, malevolent old woman appears near people at night, scaring them and pressing down or sitting on their chests until they struggle to breathe.

So, sleep paralysis, right?

Probably, but does that make you less scared? If you found out that poltergeists were just normal, common-or-garden-variety prion diseases, would that make you less afraid? In East Asia, it’s blamed on Buddhist monks and nuns, throwing their spirit forth to the dream realm to paralyze wicked people. In Brazil, the hag lives on the roofs of houses, ready to descend into bedrooms and stand on the bellies of those who’ve eaten too much. Her name is more frightening than Night Hag—”Pisadeira” or “She who steps.”^[8]

Ugh.

2 Manaia, New Zealand

Take a look at an image search of these Maori carvings—what do you see? A serpent? A bird-headed humanoid? A man in profile? Dinosaur?

The answer is nobody knows what these enigmatic motifs really depict, despite turning up a lot in traditional carvings. The word itself offers no clue. If you look it up in a Maori dictionary, the meaning varies from “a grotesque beaked figure sometimes introduced in carving; ornamental work, a lizard; the sea-horse; a raft.”

Is that what you see, a raft? Enjoy drowning…

In related Polynesian languages, there are similar words that mean “embellishment.” So, these carvings are…just carvings? Filler for corners on lintels and pillars?

Nah, they must mean something, or the style wouldn’t be so identifiable and common. Whatever they signify, however, has been long forgotten. Still, they look awesome.^[9]

1 Bhoma, Bali

We started this listicle with the traditional European figure The Green Man and the Meditteranean’s Pontia Theron. On the island of Bali, you’ll find a similar figure that adorns temples and other buildings, symbolizing much of the same themes as man’s interactions with the natural world. The main difference? Look how cool this thing looks; it’d eat the Green Man whole, plus the Mistress and her beasts too!

In the island’s Hindu tradition, the Bhoma is considered the son of Vishnu and the earth goddess Pertiwi. The figure is a nature spirit of sorts, considered “King of the Jungle” (take that, lions). Bhoma is also considered a guardian spirit, keeping watch over the sacred forests at the foot of holy mountains. And does a bloody good job of it too—you don’t want to mess with that thing.^[10]

In a world where roughly 6,500 different languages are currently spoken, an assortment of common symbols, emblems, and logos can often bridge the gap between cultures. Certain images, and the concepts they represent, can be easily recognized by most. However, some of the most familiar images associated with modern ideas, products, or movements come to us from our most ancient ancestors.

With a wealth of history, wisdom, and hidden meanings behind them, some of these ancient symbols convey much more than their modern contexts might suggest. Let’s look at ten symbols whose modern contexts can’t compare to their ancient origins.

Related: Top 10 Sayings With Misunderstood Origins

10 The Bluetooth Rune

It’s probably fair to say that the majority of people have come across this symbol at some point. Given that smartphones are owned by almost 92% of the world’s population, the Bluetooth symbol is likely one of the most recognizable icons of the 21st century. What few people realize, however, is that the symbol was inspired by ancient Viking runes, the written alphabet used by the Germanic people of Northern Europe in the first millennium AD.

The widely identifiable icon was created by Jim Kardach, who had been reading a historical Viking novel while developing Bluetooth wireless technology. The story featured Harold Gormsson, a king who ruled over tribes in Denmark and Norway during the Viking Age. Nicknamed Harold Bluetooth, Kardach felt that Gormsson’s endeavor to unite the Viking tribes was similar to the purpose he hoped to achieve with his new technology. The resulting Bluetooth logo combines the runic figures of “H” and “B.”

The exact origins of Viking runes are the subject of debate, but it’s possible that they came from the Etruscan alphabet. The name “rune” derives from the German root word “-run,” which means “secret” or “whisper.” Given that runes were mostly used by the wealthier members of Viking society to record moments of great importance, this name seems rather fitting!^[1]

9 The Celtic Harp

Also known as the Gaelic harp, this is one of the most common symbols of Ireland. As well as featuring prominently in its national imagery, coins, and uniforms, the harp is associated with numerous Irish companies, including Ryan Air and Guinness. The Celtic harp set against a green background first appeared as a symbol of Ireland in 1642 (LINK 2). This strengthened a link between the instrument and the Irish people that had been established by bards and musicians who had played it for their chieftains and kings in ancient times.

As a symbol, the Celtic harp is believed to represent, among other things, the immortality of the soul. One of the oldest musical instruments in the world, a Pictish carving on an 8th century stone cross is one of the earliest known images of the harp in Ireland. Harps are associated with St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music, and are also referenced in the Old Testament as an instrument for healing. That’s something to bear in mind when knocking back a pint of Guinness ale.^[2]

8 The Rod of Asclepius

A global symbol of healthcare and medicine, the Rod of Asclepius is an internationally recognized representation of the medical profession. The symbol portrays a serpent coiled around a staff, traditionally represented by a knotty tree limb. It is associated with the Greek Demigod Asclepius, who was renowned for his powers of healing and unrivaled medical aptitude. According to mythology, he received this wisdom from the whisperings of snakes. The relevance of Asclepius is even reflected in the original Hippocratic Oath. This began with the invocation, “I swear by Apollo the Healer and by Asclepius ….”

The significance of the image as representative of the art of healing is tied with the symbolism of both the staff and the snake. Traditionally, the rod has been depicted as a symbol of authority, while the serpent signifies rebirth, rejuvenation, and revitalization. The snake also represents the dual nature of the medical profession, which involves both life and death, as its venom can be fatally poisonous but also possesses medicinal properties. Keep an eye out for this one the next time you see an ambulance drive by!^[3]

7 The Alphabet

Perhaps one of the most obvious examples on this list, the modern western alphabet derives, of course, from ancient Greek alphabetic writing. Emerging sometime around 800 BC, the Greek alphabet was the world’s first fully phonetic alphabetic script. There were actually several regional and local variations. However, the ancient Greeks still acknowledged the immediate source by referring to their alphabets as “Phoenician letters.” The Phoenicians were the peoples occupying the regions in what is now Lebanon and parts of Syria and Israel.

Of all the local variations, it was the Ionic alphabet that was eventually adopted by Athens in classical Greece. This alphabet contained 24 letters and eventually became dominant across the Greek-speaking world. Given the reach and influence held by ancient Greece, later to be replaced by the Roman empire, it’s unsurprising that its alphabet seeped its way into the alphabetic systems of most of Europe.^[4]

6 The Swastika

Since the early 1920s, the swastika has become a symbol associated with hatred and fear. Adopted as an emblem of the Third Reich, the Nazi’s redesign of this auspicious and sacred symbol has led to it being reviled by the West. The swastika served as a holy symbol in Asia for millennia and maintains its immense spiritual significance today. To Buddhists, it represents the footprints of the Buddha. The Jains regard it as one of the 24 Tirthankara saviors, while Hindus see the right-hand swastika as a sign of Surya (the Sun) and auspiciousness. They view the left-hand version, the sauvastika, as symbolic of the night and the goddess Kali. The word swastika itself derives from the Sanskrit svastika, meaning “conducive to well-being.”

The swastika as a spiritual symbol has also been found all over the world, appearing in several cultures across northern Africa, as well as the Mayan, Aztec, and Kuna civilizations of South and Central America. It was also adopted by numerous First Nation groups of North America, including the Hopi, Navajo, and Passamaquoddy. It’s also seen throughout Europe, where the first known example dates back some 15,000 years. It was used by Celtic, Vinca, Greek, and Roman cultures. The discovery in the 1870s of some 1,800 depictions of the symbol at Hisarlik, Turkey, led to its association with luck and success by the beginning of the 20th century. Around this time, German nationalists began to favor it, culminating in Hitler’s adoption of the swastika as a symbol of the burgeoning Nazi movement.^[5]

5 The Star and Crescent

Today, the star and crescent is used as a national symbol for numerous countries, including Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Malaysia. Featured on the flag of the Ottoman-Turks, it gained prevalence as a symbol of the Ottoman Empire after 1757. Its use in mosques and minarets also led to the association of the star and crescent with Islam.

The star and crescent’s origins may partially stem from long-established Mesopotamian iconography. Here, the crescent was associated with the moon god Sin and the star with the goddess Ishtar, who represents Venus. However, the symbol in its current form was likely developed in the Greek colony of Byzantium around 300 BC. Within this context, it represented the moon and the goddesses Luna and Diana, with the morning star also associated with Venus.^[6]

4 The Shamrock

With a name derived from the Irish word “seamróg” or “seamair óg,” which translates as little clover, the shamrock is another of Ireland’s most recognizable emblems. Its depiction can be seen everywhere on the Emerald Isle. As an image of a three-leafed clover, it is traditionally rooted in the holy trinity symbolism of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, is purported to have used the shamrock in his teachings to convert the people of Ireland to Christianity in the 5th century.

What few realize is that the sacred trinity symbolism of the shamrock dates back even further than the teachings of St. Patrick. The symbol was originally associated with the Celtic earth-mother goddess Danu. Possibly a deity of fertility, wisdom, and the wind, the three leaves are believed to have represented her status as the maiden, the mother, and the crone of Ireland. Just don’t get it confused with the four-leafed clover, which has an entirely different meaning!^[7]

3 The Fleur-de-Lis

The fleur-de-lis symbol is used today in all manner of contexts as a purely decorative element, as well as a representation of light, life, and perfection. However, it is most commonly found in Catholic emblems. It symbolizes the Holy Trinity and purity and is ascribed to the Virgin Mary. While also appearing as a decorative feature across numerous European nations, it has most frequently been seen in France. In fact, the symbol has come to closely represent French royalty, with legend claiming that an angel presented one to Clovis, the Merovingian king of the Franks.

Translating in English to “flower of the lily,” the fleur-de-lis is believed to depict a stylized lily or lotus flower and has been used in the artworks of some of the earliest civilizations. Utilized for both ornamental and symbolic purposes, the fleur-de-lis has been found on Mesopotamian cylinders, Mycenean pottery, Egyptian bas-reliefs, Sassanid textiles, Gaulish and Mameluk coins, Japanese emblems, Indonesian clothing, and Dogon totems. It has often been associated with the sacred goddesses of these cultures.^[8]

2 The Skull and Crossbones

A symbol comprised of a human skull with two long bones crossed beneath, the skull and crossbones has come to represent poison, danger, and warnings, as well as toughness and ferocity. Most commonly used today to demarcate toxic substances unfit for consumption, it has also been used as an emblem for pirates and, even today, as the insignia for numerous military and naval services throughout the world. However, this symbol has often been found in antiquity to convey a meaning termed in Latin by the Medieval intellectuals of Europe as “Memento Mori”: Remember, you are mortal.

The original meaning of the symbol was to act as a reminder of the temporary and transient nature of human life and the inevitability of death. It was used to prompt one to remember that there is eternal life within each of us and to strive to reach advanced spiritual heights. The image taught that, although death may come, the soul transcends the demise of all that is physical.^[9]

1 The Black Sun

Another spiritual symbol hijacked by the Nazis, the Black Sun has been associated with the Third Reich since the 1930s. The specific configuration used by the Nazis was first utilized at Wewelsburg Castle following renovations by Heinrich Himmler. The Nazi’s own particular design was a new and unique take on various ancient representations of the “Sun Wheel” symbol. It is composed of twelve Sig-runes, which represented victory to the Nazis and was their recreation of the Viking Sowilo-rune.

The number twelve is highly significant in various spiritual belief systems and occult cosmogonies. Interestingly, the Nazi configuration shares many similarities with decorative Merovingian disks dating from the early Medieval period. The power and influence held by the Merovingian kings in Germania during that time frame may well have been something that the Nazis wished to emulate.

The sun wheel is a powerful spiritual symbol found in the iconography and religious art of numerous prehistoric cultures across the world. Throughout many of these societies, the sun has been worshipped as an all-powerful and supreme preserver of life. The Sun Wheel symbol is said to invoke the sun’s great cosmic powers to bless the world with life, fertility, prosperity, abundance, and peace. Black Sun imagery may have held significance within German and Norse mythology in accounts of the apocalyptic events associated with Ragnarök. In the story, the wolf who chases the sun eternally across the sky finally catches and swallows it, causing the beginning of an age of darkness, regression, and chaos.^[10]

Status symbols are some of the hardest to understand aspects of any culture or society. What makes any given thing a symbol of importance? Is a rare NFT of a cartoon monkey really indicative of anything? What about a Ferrari? Truth is, status symbols have always been pretty mysterious and weird. Just look at these…

10. Pineapples

Our ancestors were harvesting pineapple in South America thousands of years ago, and why not? It’s delicious, refreshing, and it looks pretty cool as far as fruit goes as well. Columbus was so impressed with the fruit that after pillaging the New World, he brought it back to Europe with him and soon it became the “it” thing for anyone who was anyone.

In the 16th and 17th Century, Europeans fell in love with the pineapple. It was exotic and hard to come by, so getting a hold of one indicated you had money or influence. Charles II commissioned a painting of himself with a pineapple. The cost of building a greenhouse to grow pineapples in England was upwards of £28,000. Many of them failed, and it took years to grow the fruit, all of which added to the cache of having one. So how much did a pineapple cost back then? About £60. Adjusted for inflation, that’s around £11,000 today. So in a lot of ways, a pineapple was legitimately like owning a 75-inch TV, or some other needless luxury. 

Ironically, or maybe not depending on your perspective, people would not actually do much with those pricey pineapples. If you’re spending that much, you’re not just making a fruit salad, right? So, often, the fruit would just sit on a table like a decoration to show off for anyone who came by. 

9. Ornamental Hermits

If a pineapple seems like an obscure sort of decoration, a hermit has to be next level. In the 18th century, part of tending a garden meant making it as lush and luxurious as possible if you wanted to show off your station in life. After all, only the most high society types would be able to afford majestic topiaries and exotic flowers from abroad. But at some point, this evolved beyond normal garden fixtures to include the ornamental hermit.

Just as the name suggests, an ornamental hermit was a man, a literal person, who lived in a little shack or hovel on the grounds of another person’s home. Think of a garden gnome only in real life. These men would dress as druids, grow long beards, and essentially look like your own personal Gandalf. They also didn’t bathe, just to complete the illusion. 

The hermit was not to speak with anyone for a period of seven years. They’d just live there, not bathing, and looking the part. The trend evolved from the idea of Roman Emperor Hadrian having a single person retreat at his villa, something that was later adapted by Pope Pius IV. And by the 18th century people just decided that having a lone hermit was in keeping with more of an emotional ideal of the melancholy. That is to say, they exemplified introspection and somberness, feelings which were valued at the time and apparently best appreciated in living, breathing form. Only the most wealthy of people could afford to hire a person to live like this and thus, one of the most bizarre status symbols was born.

Luckily for the would-be hermits, the trend did not last long.

8. Men’s High Heels

These days, high heel shoes are almost exclusively sold to women. People would arguably look at a man strangely if they saw him wearing heels because of cultural biases we still hold relating to what qualifies as menswear and womenswear. What’s odd about this is that high heels were originally made for men and not women. 

Heels date back to somewhere between the 10th and 15th century in Persia. And they weren’t considered effeminate or odd in any way, just the opposite. Heels were worn by warriors as they allowed them greater control and security in stirrups on horseback. 

At the time, the Persian military was not accessible to just any man. If you planned to ride on a horse, then you needed to be wealthy enough to buy your own. Thus, those who could wear heels were part of the elite class. The heels were introduced to Europe at the end of the 1500s when the Persians made a grand tour of Europe looking for allies in war.

European nobility couldn’t resist the allure of something new and unique. To them, heels were manly and cool, so they all wanted a pair of their own. When people of lower station began wearing heels, the aristocrats made higher heels. They became impractically high and that cemented them as the shoes of the elite because normal people couldn’t actually perform real jobs in high heels, so only the upper crust could get away with wearing them. 

7. Low Number License Plates

Cars as a status symbol is by no means a new idea. As long as cars have existed, there have been the more expensive and luxurious versions that people have sought as a way to show off their wealth. The Rolls Royce Boat Tail will set you back $28 million if you’re looking to show off your fancy car chops today, but it’s not the only car-related status symbol out there by any means. 

In Rhode Island and several other states, you don’t need a multimillion dollar automobile to show off your street cred. You just need the right license plate. Low numbers have long been desired by license plate enthusiasts.

When license plates were first issued, they did them in the most logical way you could imagine – numerically. So the first plate ever issued was just number 1. And so it went. As plates go out of circulation, those numbers can be reissued. Or, if they still exist, owners can will them to relatives or even sell them. And people pay a lot of money for them. 

The governor got that number one plate back in 1903. You can imagine the imagined cache of having a car emblazoned with a government-sanctioned “1” on it. It created the idea that a low number was somehow good. This is a trend you can see every day in almost anything with a numerical ordering system. People want to be number one. Oftentimes it makes no sense at all, but we still like the sound of it. That’s essentially how it works with these plates. It’s meaningless, but people still want them. 

What’s a low plate worth? Delaware’s “9” sold for nearly $200,000 in 1994. A 14 went for $325,000. Despite not meaning much objectively, they have that subjective value which allows someone to say they’re the top. Or at least top 14. And that means a lot to some folks. 

6. Dueling Scars

Have you ever heard the saying “chicks dig scars?” Juvenile though it may be, there’s something to the idea of scars being cool. Maybe not literally, but you can’t deny that there is a cultural sort of appreciation for someone who has battle scars or evidence of trauma. Why? Who knows? But you can see it in books and movies all the time, those scenes where the hero takes their shirt off and dramatically reveals the cuts and holes and tears of a hard life that shows just how tough and admirable they must truly be. 

The idea that scars are desirable wasn’t born in a vacuum of fiction. In real life, people have pursued scars as a way to show off their own badassery for longer than you might think. A 2008 study shows that women were more attracted to men who had facial scars. But the practice of scarring to be cool goes back further.

Germans used to engage in duels ostensibly to get cuts on their faces. This was done by college men in fraternities to show off their manliness. The Nazi party actually reintroduced the practice of dueling in 1936. The duels were never meant to be malicious or to settle real disputes; they were just sort of like a Fight Club-style battle to prove one’s toughness.

As you might expect, not everyone was inclined to let an opponent slash them with a rapier. Word is that some men used razors on their own faces, or even paid doctors to do it for them. 

5. Wigs

If you’ve seen any period piece movies that cover 18th century England, then you know wigs were a prominent part of British high society. All the aristocrats in old movies wear those giant, puffy white wigs. The concept of the powdered wig actually comes from France and King Louis XIII, who wore one to cover his baldness. The wigs were powdered because, made from horse or goat hair as they were, and never actually cleaned, they smelled awful and were full of lice. Powder cut back on the nastiness. 

As we saw with high heels, the elite in society love nothing more than to do what everyone else is doing, and so the wig trend spread rapidly. They became more ornate and complex as the trend grew and, just like a pair of sneakers in modern times, if you wanted to stand out among a certain crowd of people, you had to have the best looking wig you could get. Some high end wigs, when adjusted for inflation, could cost over $10,000. 

Wigs became so popular that a black market arose and wig theft became a serious problem. To appreciate just how serious, you should know that some people apparently trained monkeys to snatch wigs right off people’s heads and run away with them. 

4. Lawns

Some people take their lawn care very seriously. You might even say too seriously. Many neighborhoods have that one lawn that’s just pristine and green all year around because someone is devoting a ton of time to making it look majestic. A lot of other people don’t care. But once upon a time, a lawn was a thing of true status. 

A patch of grass seems like an odd status symbol, but not once you realize what it represents. In a way, it’s actually very crass. A lawn, once upon a time, showed your wealth because it was wasteful. A peasant couldn’t afford a lawn. The land was their livelihood. A farmer couldn’t have a lawn, they needed that land to grow food to make a living. But a rich person? They could waste so much land. So a large lawn indicated you didn’t care about how much space you wasted. 

Over time, homeowners got to have their own property and their own lawns, which, in their way, showed a kind of independence. It showed success. We still kind of think of homeownership in those terms, but not necessarily the needless patch of grass in front of one.

3. Paper Fans

Most people today take paper for granted. You go to Staples and buy a slab of it for your printer and it costs a few bucks. No big deal. But if you get into the world of paper, you’ll learn that paper is never “just” paper. There’s that cheap printer paper you can buy that’s made from processed wood pulp and costs under $10 for 500 sheets. Or you can buy 50 sheets of paper made from processed elephant poop for $32. 

In Korea, hanji was handmade paper produced from mulberry trees. It was used for writing but also numerous decorative and artistic purposes as well. One of those purposes was for folded hand fans. These fans were only allowed to be used by men in public and were shown off as a status symbol. 

The more ornate the fan, the more important the person wielding it arguably was. Different colors, shapes and decorations showed off that status. For instance, the more bamboo ribs the fan had, the higher the status. Royalty would wield fans with 50 ribs. Lesser aristocracy might have 40. 

2. Salt

Of all the seasonings in the world, none is more important to chefs than salt. When a chef says something needs seasoning, they don’t mean saffron. They mean salt. And, historically, salt has been a big deal. Salt used to be one of the most valuable commodities in the world. In Ancient Greece, slaves would be sold for salt. Clearly it had some serious value, and this extended through much of history.

Because of its value, those who could show off salt were also showing off their social status. The true bigwigs of society could afford salt cellars, an ornate container that held salt and at gatherings and parties, the host would show it off like it was a Porsche in the driveway. At a dinner, those of greater status would be seated above the salt. Lesser folks sat further away. 

1. Pillows

Pillows hold an odd position in the world at large. You have one on your bed for sleeping, but some people also have a good half dozen on the bed that are just there for decoration. The same thing happens on sofas as well. The world is full of pillows, many of which are just there to look nice but not be used for anything.

Pillows date back some 9,000 years. The first Mesopotamian pillow was made of stone and served the purpose of keeping your head off the ground so fewer bugs would crawl in your mouth at night. 

The stone pillow became widely popular and only the wealthy could afford them because carved stone isn’t cheap today and it wasn’t cheap back then. Thus, a pillow was something that showed off your status as a big wig. 

Decorative pillows spread to other cultures. Ornately painted ceramic pillows became a status symbol in China. In the Middle Ages, soft pillows were used by the rich and eschewed by the men as being weak. 

To this day, we’ve kept up the idea of the decorative pillow as something opulent, even though it has no real use as a pillow. The next time anyone complains about you have pillows you can’t actually use, just tell them you’re participating in a 9,000 year old tradition of decadence.