Forerunner symbols

Forerunner symbols were used by the Forerunners to convey a variety of meanings. These symbols can be found on Forerunner technology and within Forerunner installations, including the Halo Array. They are also found on many pieces of Covenant technology.
==Background==
The exact nature of Forerunner writing remains a mystery. The symbols are most likely logograms rather than parts of an alphabet or a syllabary. There also seems to be more dimensions to Forerunner writing than traditional methods, with individual glyphs holding multiple meanings, likely making them entirely contextual—when combined with different glyphs, a symbol might have radically different meanings, making individual glyphs pictograms or ideograms.
Other symbols found on Forerunner relics and structures are even less obvious in their meanings. They are obviously decorative in nature, but they are often larger and more elaborate in nature than their glyphs, and may depict specific shapes and forms, and may have more in common with petroglyphs than logograms.
It is also speculated that these glyphs are found on covenant luminaries as indicators of forerunner relics, as the reclaimer glyph was seen to represent humans in Contact Harvest.
== Specific Symbols ==
===Reclaimer===
The Forerunner glyph representing a ReclaimerHalo: Contact Harvest is identical to the Marathon symbol, although the same symbol is seen on various places throughout Forerunner installations and constructs, including the "eye" of 343 Guilty Spark, as well as the frontal section of an Enforcer.
This symbol is also used by humans in various instances, and it is the emblem of the .
===Mantle of Responsibility===
A certain symbol has appeared numerous times throughout the Halo series in both games and books. The symbol is found mostly on Forerunner structures and devices, seemingly without a defined orientation or pattern. Despite its history and occurrences in the series, its true meaning was unknown until the release of Halo 4, in which it can be found as a Forerunner shrine to the Mantle of Responsibility. In Halo: Silentium, this symbol is called the "Eld" by the Librarian, and is said to be known as the "Treemark" to the Builder caste. It is an incredibly ancient and multi-galactic symbol for the Mantle.
Silent Cartographer Glyph.jpg|On the Silent CartographerHalo: Combat Evolved The Silent Cartographer
Ascension Glyph.png|On an Installation 05 Relay StationHalo 2 Ascension
Ghosts of Onyx Gliph.png|On the cover of Ghosts of OnyxHalo: Ghosts of Onyx
Halo 3 Manuel Back.jpg|On the back of the Halo 3 instructions manualHalo 3
Bestiarum.JPG|On the cover of the Bestiarum
File:Ark Glyph.jpg|On the surface of The Ark
82515780-Medium.jpg|On the topside of 343 Guilty Spark and other Monitors
Terminal2 Legendary Page1.jpg|In the upper left of Terminal messages
Shieldworldsymbolonplanet.jpg|On the surface of Requiem in Halo 3's legendary ending
Origins poster.jpg|In the background of a poster for Halo Legends: Origins
Tiers Glyph.png|On the Halo Waypoint Tiers of Technology pageHalo Waypoint Tiers of Technology
CEA Terminal.JPG|In the background of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary terminals.
Reach 14704814 Medium.jpg|On the Babd Catha Forerunner complex on ReachHalo: Reach Breakpoint
E3 Didact Shirt Glyph.jpg|On shirt given away at exclusive Halo 4 events at E3 2012; Note the inverted Ur-Didact symbolGamesbeat The top 15 swag shirts of E3 2012
=== Shield Worlds ===
The Shield Worlds are also known to have a symbol, as evidenced in Ghosts of Onyx.
The symbol is described in the book on page 181, when Dr. Halsey is compiling her data with the AI Endless Summer. While Dr. Halsey is working CPO Mendez asks her what the symbols on the screen are, Dr. Halsey replies that they are Forerunner symbols, from the ruins on Onyx, and their theoretical translations. As she continues to work Mendez then asks what a symbol means as he points at a double-lobed icon. Dr. Halsey replies that the symbol, roughly translated, means Shield World.
From this page, it can be theorized that the icon on the cover of Ghosts of Onyx, which also appears on a multitude of other Forerunner installations, could possibly be the symbol for Shield World. However, it is still possible that the symbol in the cover is separate from the one described in the book, as it is never described in great detail.
==Defined types of circle symbols==
=== Sigils ===
A sigil is used to represent a specific Forerunner, Ancilla, or other entity. The use of this symbol is specific to signing messages,Halo 3 Terminals or to show the allegiance to an individual.Halo: Silentium, page 85
Forerunners and ancilla have been known to change their sigils on some occasions; for example, the Ur-Didact changed to an "unbound" state at somepoint after his fall from grace, and the Warden Eternal's sigil gaining a second ring.
Image:Chrysopteron.gif|The second avatar of AdjutantReflex on Bungie.net.
File:AdjutantReflex 3rd.gif|Hijacked AdjutantReflex
Librarian.png|The Librarian's Sigil
185px-Didact.png|The Ur-Didact's original Sigil, later adopted by the IsoDidact
H4 Didact Symbol.JPG|The Ur-Didact's Sigil from Halo 4 trailers
Mendicant Bias.svg|Stable Mendicant Bias's Sigil
MendicantBias (Rampant).png|Rampant Mendicant Bias's Sigil
Offensive Bias.svg|Offensive Bias's Sigil
Archive.svg|000 Tragic Solitude's Sigil
Gravemind.svg|The Gravemind's Sigil
343 Guilty Spark Sigil.png|343 Guilty Spark's Sigil.
=== Installation Symbols ===
In Halo 3, a number of details about the Halo Array arise. In the Ark's Citadel, where the Prophet of Truth attempted to fire the seven Installations, each Installation is shown in detail. Each Halo has its own hologram showing its structure and status, as well as a holographic symbol identifying each Installation.
If the installation's fail safe protocol is activated, when the installations are all in communication the symbols all come back as white. In the case an installation is destroyed or contact is fully lost with it, the symbol used to describe it is red as shown with Installation 04.
Image:Int7.jpg|Installation 07 Symbol
Image:Int6.jpg|Installation 06 Symbol
Image:Int3.jpg|Installation 05 Symbol
Image:22086255-Full.jpg|Installation 04 Symbol
Image:Int5.jpg|Installation 03 Symbol
Image:Int2.jpg|Installation 02 Symbol
Image:Int1.jpg|Installation 01 Symbol
==Round symbol Analysis==
The symbols are primarily composed of circles and curves. Each glyph appears to use a circle as a base shape, often combined with either a concentric circle or fragments of one. Another common trait is the presence of one or more circular arcs whose osculating circles' centers lie on the base circle. Non-circular arcs and small non-concentric circles can be seen on some glyphs. The filling in of areas is uncommon but has been seen in Forerunner glyphs.
According to Bungie employee Joseph Staten, the blue and red signs denote the safety of the area—that is, whether or not the Flood are there. However, this has only been noted when there are two red symbols together. As singular red symbols can mean something else as noted by them appearing in numerous locations on Installation 04 not linked to the Flood.
Image:CRsymbol1.png|The glowing cyan symbols are found on the control panel in the Halo control room. This one is also found on the Covenant Plasma Grenade.
Image:CRsymbol2.png
Image:CRsymbol3.png|This symbol can be seen on the armor of the fuel rod cannon arm of the Mgalekgolo in Halo: Reach.
Image:Elitesymbol1.png|The non-glowing cyan symbol is found on the back of higher-ranking Elites.
Image:Plasmasymbol.png|
Image:Forerunner_lift_Symbols.png|It can be deduced that the purple symbol means Elevator or Lift, most likely, as it is seen above doors leading to elevators.
Image:Floodsymbol1.png|Above the doors where large Flood storage rooms are, two of the red symbols always appear, which backs up what Staten said about red and blue symbols.
Image:Floodsymbol2.png
Image:CFsymbols.jpg|A number of symbols that have been discovered in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2.
rank. admiral.png
Superemecomm.png
All of the others are found in various Forerunner structures, mostly on the levels 343 Guilty Spark, Silent Cartographer, and The Library.
=== Cropped Symbols Analysis ===
Several of the symbols are variations of each other. There are a total of 16 unique symbols; the other 8 are rotations or croppings of the 16 main symbols. Of note is the fact that the cropped versions may not have been intended to be cropped; their in-game textures may have been inadvertently placed such that they extended beyond the edges of the polygons they were on, causing the parts that couldn't fit to be clipped. For sake of being thorough, however, they have been included as separate symbols.
Notice than the symbol on Installation 04's hologram (Alpha Halo) is exactly the same shown in Halo Reach Plasma Grenade Version.
===Iris and Iris-like glyphs===
These Forerunner symbols are featured on some installations, and also used as a key to open doors Shield 0459.
File:Glyphs.png|The glyphs discovered in Iris.
==Written Language==
While the Forerunner Language remains a mystery, with only two words known, the writing system they used to convey meaning is far better understood. The Forerunners appear to have used two different writing methods; the first was a system of glyphs, highly contextual in nature, with the meaning of different glyphs altered by order and context, and further meaning could be derived if the reader used more three-dimensional interpretations. The second mode seems to be a more conventional writing system, using two-dimensional characters written vertically. While the glyph system is common to Forerunner relics, the writing system seems to have been used far less frequently, and the only known examples of its use have all been found on Forerunner relics on Installation 00, either inscribed onto stone relicsHalo 3, SandtrapHalo 3, Sandbox or in holographic formHalo 3, EpitaphHalo 3, Construct
The glyph system has been adopted by the Covenant as religious symbols, and was also used as the basis for their own scripts, despite having little idea as to the true meanings of the original symbols. Humans in general have had little success in translating Forerunner texts, with the notable exception of Doctor Catherine Halsey. There is a possibility that this writing system isn't the Forerunner's but in fact could belong to a more ancient race, known as the Precursors.
==Other Symbols==
Image:Forerunner_glyphs.jpg|Symbols from the sphere artifact found at Harvest
Image:Forerunner_glyphs1.jpg|Symbols from the sphere artifact found at the Forerunner Shield World as appears in the Halo Wars game
Image:Forerunner_glyphs2.jpg|Symbols been illuminated by Dr. Anderson from the sphere artifact found at the Forerunner Shield World as appears in Halo Wars
Reach T1 Plas Grenade.png|The plasma grenade's symbol
Sword Study HRB 1.jpg|The multiple symbols on the Energy Sword (look carefully on the right and left sides)
Forerunner Data-Encrypted.jpg|Terminal glyphs
==Development gallery==
File:Forerunner_Terminals_Glyphs.jpg|Cut symbols in the Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Terminals.YouTube: BTS: Anniversary Terminals
File:Lightriflehud.jpeg|Cut render of the Lightrifle that had the Line type symbols "34-1112" on it.
File:Forerunner_control_panel_concept_art.jpg|Forerunner control panel concept art.
File:Halo_4_Concept_Art_by_Albert_Ng_19a.jpg|Forerunner control panel concept art.
File:Draft_Forerunner_Terminal_Opening_2.png|Cut Halo 2: Anniversary Terminal symbols.
File:Art_of_Halo_5_Symbols.jpg|Forerunner and Sangheili symbols in the Art of Halo 5 book.
==Notes==
==Trivia==
*The base Iris glyph was used as an avatar by AdjutantReflex.Iris
==Appearances==
*Halo: The Fall of Reach 
*Halo: Combat Evolved
*Halo: The Flood
*Halo: First Strike
*Halo 2
*Halo Graphic Novel
**Second Sunrise over New Mombasa
*Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
*Iris
*Halo 3
**Terminals
*Halo: Contact Harvest
*Halo: Reach
*Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
**Terminals
*Halo 4
**Terminals
**Spartan Ops
*Halo: Escalation
*Halo 2: Anniversary
*Halo 5: Guardians
==Sources==
==See also==
*Covenant languages
*Logograms
Category:Forerunner Artifacts
Category:Halo: Silentium