The equal-armed cross, also referred to as the square cross, the balanced cross, and the peaceful cross, is a cross, consisting of two intersecting lines, usually perpendicular to each other, with all arms of equal length. The Greek cross is an equal-armed cross with the lines running vertically and horizontally. The saltire is a diagonal equal-armed cross, sometimes with the two intersecting lines that are not perpendicular to each other. Equal-armed crosses are symbols that have been found since ancient times in different cultures and traditions throughout the world.
Significance
It is often interpreted as representing either the four seasons, four winds, four elements, or some other aspect of physical nature.
In the Albanian tradition the equal-armed cross (and its variant swastika) is the traditional way to symbolize the deified Fire – Zjarri, evidently also called with the theonym Enji. They are commonly found in a variety of contexts of Albanian folk art, including traditional tattooing, grave art, jewellery, embroidery, and house carvings.
Other
An equal-armed cross (often within a circle) represents the planet Earth in traditional astrological/astronomical symbols. The cross could also be used to represent the union between male and female.
See also
References
- Duchane, Sangeet; Priya Hemenway (2005). Beyond the Da Vinci Code: From the Rose Line to the Bloodline. Amy Ray. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-7607-6625-5.
- Treimer, Karl (1971). "Zur Rückerschliessung der illyrischen Götterwelt und ihre Bedeutung für die südslawische Philologie". In Henrik Barić (ed.). Arhiv za Arbanasku starinu, jezik i etnologiju. Vol. I. R. Trofenik. pp. 27–33. p. 32.
- Murray-Aynsley, J. C. (1891). "Swastika". Ars Quatuor Coronatorum. IV: 29, 31.
- Stewart, Michael James Alexander; Walid Amine Salhab (2007). The Knights Templar of the Middle East: The Hidden History of the Islamic Origins of Freemasonry. Weiser. ISBN 978-1-57863-346-3.