Fresh Batch #114: Characters & Signs

The Origin and Progress of Writing Part 7

Continuing my with my notes on Thomas Astle’s The Origin and Progress of Writing.

Chapter VI.

Of Characters and Signs

Astle reminded his readers that all symbols are only significant by compact or agreement. This is especially true for letters, flags, heraldry, colors, mythology, numbers, and every other instrument used by the priesthood and the ruling classes. The rigidity of the system is what maintained it. Once it can be watered down with interpretation, as has been done since at least the Renaissance, the system becomes convoluted and its precision is lost besides the more obvious traditional symbols. The most ancient Chinese characters are nearly hieroglyphic.

Astle wrote (Ib. p. 163), “The Chinese Characters, which are by length of time become symbolic, were originally imitative; they still partake so much of their original hieroglyphic nature that they do not combine in to words, like letters or marks for sounds, but we find one mark for a man, another for a horse, a third for a dog, and, in short, a separate and distinct mark for each thing which hath a corporeal form. They are under a necessity of making separate marks for each district and town. It is obvious that these marks must be exceedingly numerous; but how greatly must they be multiplied, by the absolute necessity of describing the properties, and qualities of things!”

6 Types of Chinese Characters

• The transliteration of these characters back in the 19th century is much different than what is used today, so please submit corrections in the comments, and I’ll adjust any errors I’ve made.

There were allegedly six sorts of Chinese characters: 1) the true pictures of sensible things: pictograms 象形字 (xiàngxíngzì), 2) the indication of a thing made by an addition to the symbol: loan characters 假借字 (jiǎjièzì), 3) the junction of ideas, or association, to express a thing that neither character would signify separately: compound ideograms 会意字 (huìyìzì), 4) explication or expression of the sound: phono-semantic characters 形声字 (xíngshēngzì) , 5) idea, metaphor; one character is sometimes taken for another; chosen to express a proper name; turned aside to a sense allegorical, metaphorical, or ironical; pushed to an antiphrasis, in giving it a sense opposite to wherein it is employed elsewhere: simple ideograms 指事字 (zhǐshìzì), 6) development, explication, which consists only in extending the primitive sense of a character or in making detailed applications of it (the same character is sometimes verb or adverb, sometimes adjective or substantive): transfer characters 转注字 (zhuǎnzhùzì).

The hieroglyphic kind and most ancient kind of Chinese writing was long obsolete when Astle lived. It was replaced by the type used during the alleged time of Confucius, but its abbreviations and various readings were “fatal” to it. But overall it seems to have taken a similar evolutionary course to what we see letters do in Europe and North Africa. Astle wrote (Ib. p. 165), “The Chinese are no Philosophers, or they would have endeavored to have improved the two most useful arts in life, speaking and writing: what some of the Jesuits have said, concerning the wonderful learning of the Chinese may justly be doubted; for though they have some mechanic arts, and although the populousness and vast extent of their country, have obliged them to establish an exact police, and to study the rules of good government, they are far from being men of science; they are even ignorant of the principles of perspective, as their paintings evince.”

Of Sigla, or Literary Signs

A siglum is a letter (especially an initial) or other symbol used to denote a word in a book, especially to refer to a particular text. Of this, Astle wrote (Ib. p. 166), “These Sigla, or Signs, frequently appear on marbles, coins, and medals, and occur in those inestimable volumes of antiquity, which have transmitted to us the most important truths relative to the religion, manners, customs, arts and sciences, of ancient nations. These are keys as it were, to unlock the most precious volumes of antiquity; they introduce us to a more speedy acquaintance with all the various works of ancient artists and writers.”

Coins and Medals

Astle wrote (Ib. p. 167), “The medals or coins of the Grecian Princes, and of the Roman Emperors, had their effigies and titles on one side, and some hieroglyphical, emblematic, or historical representation on the other. Their names were generally expressed by single letters, to which their offices or principal dignities were annexed; for example, on those of Julius Cæsar, we frequently read this inscription, C. IMP. quart. Augur Pont. Max. Cos. Quart. Dict. quart. that is, Cæsar Imperator quartum Augur Pontifex Maximus Consul quartum Dictator quartum. The first word gives the name, then follow the dignities and offices he possessed; that is, he was four times Augur, Supreme Pontiff, Consul, and Dictator.

“In like manner we find impressed on the coins of Augustus, the following literary signs. Aug. C. Divi. F. Imp. Augur Pont II Vir. R. P. C. for Augustus Cæsaris Divi filius, Imperator, Augur, Pontifex, Triumvir reipulicæ constituendæ; and in short, on most of the ancient coins and medals, we find names, titles, and epithets.”

Epitaphs and other Sepulchral Inscriptions

It was common to begin these with D.M.S., which stands for Diis Manibus Sacrum. Astle wrote (Ib. p. 169), “After the establishment of Christianity, those who possessed that doctrine, though they continued the practice of literary signs, or verbal contractions, they deviated however from the Pagan form, and instead of the D.M.S. or Diis Manibus Sacrum, or I.O.M.S. Jovi Optimo Maximo Sacrum, they made use of D.O.M.S. that is, Deo Optimo Maximo Sacrum.”

Of Literary Signs on Sepulchral Urns

An example would be V.S.L.M., sometimes found upon sepulchral vessels, signifying Votum solvit lubens merito, meaning the individual fulfilled his vow willingly and deservedly.

Astle claimed the practice of substituting letters for words in law-books was so problematic due to the loop-holes it created that Emperor Justinian and others prohibited it under severe penalties. (Ib. p. 172.)

Of Steganography, or Secret Writing

Secret writing was also called enigmatical. It consisted of transposing the letters of the alphabet. It is my suspicion that much of the interchangeability of the letters while their symbols are retained in different cultures is a result of enigmatical or secret writing being adopted, since all that is needed for a symbol to mean anything is the agreement of those who use it.

I also suspect this is the reason that there are a lack of alphabets in Britain, if the ancient Britons used letters prior to the Romans as indicated by the uncanny coincidence of the Irish having possession of an alphabet almost the same as the Phoenicians. This leads us to the Oghams.

Oghams

Astle wrote, regarding the Ogham (Ib. pp. 179-80), “There were three kinds; the first was composed of certain lines and marks, which derived their power from their situation and position, as they stand in relation to one principal line, over or under which they are placed, or through which they are drawn; the principal line is horizontal, and serveth for a rule or guide, whose upper part is called the left, and the under side the right; above, under, and through which line, the characters or marks are drawn, which stand in the place of vowels, consonants, diphthongs, and triphthongs.

“The second and third kinds of Ogham used by the Irish, were called Ogham-beith and Ogham-coll, or Craobh; the former was so called, from placing the letter Beith or B, instead of the letter A, &c. It was also called Ogham Consoine, which was no more than to substitute consonants in the place of vowels.

“The latter called Ogham Coll, is composed of the letter C or Coll, and is formed by substituting that letter for all the vowels, diphthongs, and triphthongs, repeated, doubled, and turned, as in the specimens in the plates above mentioned; those Oghams in the latter, are taken from a MS. lately presented to the British Museum by the Reverend the Dean of Exeter, President of the Society of Antiquaries of London, which was formerly in the library of Henry Earl of Clarendon (No. 15).”

Of Musical Notes

According to Astle (Ib. p. 180), “The Hebrew musical notes consisted only in accents over the words, whereas the Greeks and Romans used letters as well as marks in the notation of their music.”

There is a reason that the priesthood is well-versed in all of these things. At the very core of their skillset is the ability to map out the spiritual or supernatural things that exist in this world such as thoughts, especially when the organization of them, followed by the setting in motion of them through action, produces the things we are accustomed to like music, speech, art, and the ability to advance every endeavor through communication and the sharing of supernatural things like ideas.

If you’d like to learn more about these priestly systems and how they impact your life, how you can use them to your benefit and avoid pitfalls, invest in yourself with the Spirit Whirled series.

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