About
How we source
Every symbol’s story is told in three layers, and every layer carries its source.
Record · Folk · Modern
Record is the oldest text, object or image we can find. Folk is how people actually used it. Modern is what we, or shops, do with it today. If there is no early source, the page says No early record; anything uncertain says To verify.
What people did, not what symbols do
We report what people believed and did — “people nailed it to doors to keep away witches (Pitt Rivers Museum)” — and never claim what a symbol does for you. What it means to you is yours.
Found a better source?
Tell us and we will check it [contact address TBC].