What Is & Is Not the Emblem

What is and is not the BDSM Emblem

HE BDSM Emblem is a design based on a Triskele. The Triskele is the basic shape of the Emblem, with three "arms" curving out from the center and merging with an encompassing circle. The Triskele is an ancient shape that has had many uses and many meanings in many cultures. Not all Triskeles are BDSM Emblems! It is the details of the design that make it the BDSM Emblem. Not the basic shape. Look at these examples and see Why it matters.

These Are BDSM Emblems
All three of these graphics are the Real Thing. Their details meet all the critical criteria of the BDSM Emblem design:
1) The rims and spokes are of a color indicating metal, in this case gold, iron and silver.
2) The rims and spokes are of uniform width with the arms rotating clockwise.
3) The inner fields are black.
4) The holes in the fields are truly holes and not dots.

This Is Not!
This is a basic Celtic Triskele. It is many hundreds of years old and originally represented the Three Faces (or phases) of the Goddess in pre-Christian Celtic culture. Since the coming of Christianity to the Celtic lands, it's come to symbolize the Trinity. Modern Pagans continue to use it as a symbol of balance among many of life's 3-fold divisions.

This Is Not!
This symbol, with dots instead of holes, was the coat of arms of an ancient Okinawan family and has since become the emblem of a form of Okinawan martial arts. Reverse the direction of rotation to get the coat of arms of a rival family.

This Is Not!
With a red rim, arms, and dots, this triskele is the emblem of a school of Buddhist Drumming.

This Is Not!
To the best of my knowledge, this exact symbol belongs to nobody at the moment. But there are many oddly colored variants like this out there on BDSM sites, all making one or more of the design mistakes here. The arms rotate the wrong way. The rim and arms are not metal-colored. The inner fields are not black. It's a Triskele, but it is not the BDSM Emblem.

This Is Not!
Again, I am unaware of this variation symbolizing anything in particular. Many Triskeles similar to it appear on BDSM Web sites -- often with the rim and arms tubular and the dots appearing as little globes. A nice design, but the details do not identify it as the BDSM Emblem.

This Is Not!
This is another form of Celtic Triskele. It often appears without the circle, as well. Some believe this is the design Pauline Reage had in mind when she described the ring worn in The Story of O, so it does have legitimate claim to BDSM signifiance. It does not, however, belong uniquely to the BDSM world. Besides its basic Celtic significance, this Triskele has become a symbol for Breton Nationalism, a movement for political independence of the French region of Brittany, which has a Celtic background and culture.

This Is Not!
This Triskele is the logo of the United States Department of Transportation.

This Is Not!
This is a Taoist symbol, known as a Taegeuk. There are many variations used by a wide array of different Taoist groups. The colors, use of dots and meanings vary. The name comes from the Chinese words "Tae" (joyfullness) and "Geuk" (eternity). The term "Taegeuk" is also used to describe forms in Tae Kwon Do, but that apparently has little or nothing to do with the design -- at least as far as I can tell. Similar Triskeles are used in various Buddhist traditions as well.

This Is Not!
Here we have an old Italian Triskele. It was the symbol of Trinacria, which is now Sicily. It came back into use in 1808 when Murat became King of Naples. A similar Triskele appears on the coats of arms of the Isle of Man and of Cossa, Italy.

Sortas, Kindas and Maybes

Variation 1
This was the first variant to turn up online, developed by a fellow in England whose name I've forgotten (if you know, please remind me so I can give him due credit). From a design details point of view, it is almost entirely wrong. Only the barest remnant of the original symbolism remains. On the other hand, there is no denying that it looks really cool, so who can help but like it? Part of me wishes I'd thought of this approach myself, but if I had, I wouldn't have used it. It is too cool, and the Emblem needed to be of a design subtle enough not to call attention to itself when worn as jewelry. This would not do the job. I have seen this particular shaping, with the blade-like arms rotating counterclockwise to a minimal rim, cited from a work on "Masonic and Occult Symbols," but have seen no reference to colors or dots. And while this shape is clearly old, my reference source was one I consider extremely suspect in terms of ascribing history and meaning. So, since this depiction appears to be unique and not treading on any other symbolic toes, how could I object to is as a symbol for BDSM Web sites and such?

^sparrow's SSC Variant
This variation was created by ^sparrow of subNATION to emphasize the Safe Sane Consensual aspect of the Emblem's meaning. There's logic, then, in her changing the inner fields from black to the colors of standard safewords. And if that didn't make the meaning obvious, the words "Safe," "Sane," and "Consensual" certainly drive the point home. Again, I consider this variation unsuitable for public wear, which is what the Emblem was designed to be for. It is too likely to expose the meaning of what was meant to be a covert symbol. But for BDSM web site use, this certainly has an educational purpose and is a worthwhile contribution to BDSM symbolism.

Gay Rainbow Variant
Joey Blue I think his name is. The guy who created this variant, that is. I'm pretty sure that's right, but the file with his name in it was lost and, well, I have a memory like a whatchamacallit. So if you can correct me, please do. The meaning is clear enough -- BDSM, but specifically Gay. I can see this as filling a very real need, so I consider it a legitimate variation.

Why does it matter?

	HE BDSM Emblem is a design based on a Triskele. The Triskele is the basic shape of the Emblem, with three "arms" curving out from the center and merging with an encompassing circle. The Triskele is an ancient shape that has had many uses and many meanings in many cultures. Not all Triskeles are BDSM Emblems! It is the details of the design that make it the BDSM Emblem. Not the basic shape. Look at these examples and see Why it matters.
	*These Are* BDSM Emblems All three of these graphics are the Real Thing. Their details meet all the critical criteria of the BDSM Emblem design: 1) The rims and spokes are of a color indicating metal, in this case gold, iron and silver. 2) The rims and spokes are of uniform width with the arms rotating clockwise. 3) The inner fields are black. 4) The holes in the fields are truly holes and not dots.**
	This Is Not! This is a basic Celtic Triskele. It is many hundreds of years old and originally represented the Three Faces (or phases) of the Goddess in pre-Christian Celtic culture. Since the coming of Christianity to the Celtic lands, it's come to symbolize the Trinity. Modern Pagans continue to use it as a symbol of balance among many of life's 3-fold divisions.
	This Is Not! This symbol, with dots instead of holes, was the coat of arms of an ancient Okinawan family and has since become the emblem of a form of Okinawan martial arts. Reverse the direction of rotation to get the coat of arms of a rival family.
	This Is Not! With a red rim, arms, and dots, this triskele is the emblem of a school of Buddhist Drumming.
	This Is Not! To the best of my knowledge, this exact symbol belongs to nobody at the moment. But there are many oddly colored variants like this out there on BDSM sites, all making one or more of the design mistakes here. The arms rotate the wrong way. The rim and arms are not metal-colored. The inner fields are not black. It's a Triskele, but it is not the BDSM Emblem.
	This Is Not! Again, I am unaware of this variation symbolizing anything in particular. Many Triskeles similar to it appear on BDSM Web sites -- often with the rim and arms tubular and the dots appearing as little globes. A nice design, but the details do not identify it as the BDSM Emblem.
	This Is Not! This is another form of Celtic Triskele. It often appears without the circle, as well. Some believe this is the design Pauline Reage had in mind when she described the ring worn in The Story of O, so it does have legitimate claim to BDSM signifiance. It does not, however, belong uniquely to the BDSM world. Besides its basic Celtic significance, this Triskele has become a symbol for Breton Nationalism, a movement for political independence of the French region of Brittany, which has a Celtic background and culture.
	This Is Not! This Triskele is the logo of the United States Department of Transportation.
	This Is Not! This is a Taoist symbol, known as a Taegeuk. There are many variations used by a wide array of different Taoist groups. The colors, use of dots and meanings vary. The name comes from the Chinese words "Tae" (joyfullness) and "Geuk" (eternity). The term "Taegeuk" is also used to describe forms in Tae Kwon Do, but that apparently has little or nothing to do with the design -- at least as far as I can tell. Similar Triskeles are used in various Buddhist traditions as well.
	This Is Not! Here we have an old Italian Triskele. It was the symbol of Trinacria, which is now Sicily. It came back into use in 1808 when Murat became King of Naples. A similar Triskele appears on the coats of arms of the Isle of Man and of Cossa, Italy.
	Sortas, Kindas and Maybes
	Variation 1 This was the first variant to turn up online, developed by a fellow in England whose name I've forgotten (if you know, please remind me so I can give him due credit). From a design details point of view, it is almost entirely wrong. Only the barest remnant of the original symbolism remains. On the other hand, there is no denying that it looks really cool, so who can help but like it? Part of me wishes I'd thought of this approach myself, but if I had, I wouldn't have used it. It is too cool, and the Emblem needed to be of a design subtle enough not to call attention to itself when worn as jewelry. This would not do the job. I have seen this particular shaping, with the blade-like arms rotating counterclockwise to a minimal rim, cited from a work on "Masonic and Occult Symbols," but have seen no reference to colors or dots. And while this shape is clearly old, my reference source was one I consider extremely suspect in terms of ascribing history and meaning. So, since this depiction appears to be unique and not treading on any other symbolic toes, how could I object to is as a symbol for BDSM Web sites and such?
	^sparrow's SSC Variant This variation was created by ^sparrow of subNATION to emphasize the Safe Sane Consensual aspect of the Emblem's meaning. There's logic, then, in her changing the inner fields from black to the colors of standard safewords. And if that didn't make the meaning obvious, the words "Safe," "Sane," and "Consensual" certainly drive the point home. Again, I consider this variation unsuitable for public wear, which is what the Emblem was designed to be for. It is too likely to expose the meaning of what was meant to be a covert symbol. But for BDSM web site use, this certainly has an educational purpose and is a worthwhile contribution to BDSM symbolism.
	Gay Rainbow Variant Joey Blue I think his name is. The guy who created this variant, that is. I'm pretty sure that's right, but the file with his name in it was lost and, well, I have a memory like a whatchamacallit. So if you can correct me, please do. The meaning is clear enough -- BDSM, but specifically Gay. I can see this as filling a very real need, so I consider it a legitimate variation.