8

**8** (eight) is a number between 7 and 9.

## Significance

Eight is associated with the basic points of a compass, including northwest, northeast, southeast, and southwest.

### Vozolaz

In Vozonid culture, it simply represents the directions and the blessings of the Gods. It can be multiplied into sixteen, the holiest number of all.

Vozonids practice a simple ritual where they lay eight spinel tiles and pray over the little circle of gems.

### Tukshara

The star in the flag of the Tuksharan Empire's flag represents the Noble Eightfold Path, and its Buddhist faith.

### Denlotian Palguenia and Ardesch

In Denlotian times, the Eightfold Curse refers to a method of execution during the Day of Resolution, referring to the background, crimes, death, and lesson of each criminal being killed.

### Bujan

"Section 8" (Bujanski: Razdæl Vōsǐ, Rāzvōsje, R8) in Bujanski slang means "a blasphemy", referring to the law code that deals with disrespectful usage of holy symbols.

In classical Sarmelonid culture, eight is a holy number. Yet it was also the symbol of the Tyrskans who oppressed Bujan centuries ago.

The Eight Wheels flag was used by Rodnovers (worshippers of Slavic gods) in Vozolaz as a symbol of Svarog, as they considered the kolovrat to be too sacred to be displayed in public. They also used their new emblem to protect the kolovrat from ever being misused by warmongers.

### Igarin civilisation

8 was a holy number to the Igarin Empire, because it represents the squid, and therefore order and greatness.

### Terran Empire

8 was also one of the symbols of the Terran Empire, representing a new order to dominate the Galaxy. However, 4 is the more popular number for the four nations of the Empire.

### Zetrosian Empire

The Zavtranian invaders and their Zetrosian Terran rulers used "8" as a symbol of their dimensional empire. The number represents the Martyrs of Tyrska, the number of years when they suffered as a symbol of the entire Zetrosian Empire in honour of them, and the Zetrosians' immortality and the longevity of their empire.

One of the Zetrosians' battlecries, uttered in Darros and Bujan, was "Where were you in the past eight years, traitors?", uttered endlessly to frustrate and break their enemies' minds.

### Tyrskan aristocracy of Bujan, Zavtrana (Wannaenid rule over Bujan)

The Tyrskan aristocracy taught its children to follow an ideology known as Eight Yearsism, or Vosjemletnost, named after the historical event commemorated in Tyrska covering the bombings. It was a nationalistic and militarised philosophy that promoted supremacy, chauvinism, revenge, and coercion as the only form of justice, especially to fight back against every possible torment.

## Trivia

### Religion and culture

1. In Chinese culture, eight represents good luck.
2. The Eight Immortals (Chinese: 八仙, Baxian) are eight divine people venerated in Taoism. They live in the legendary island of Penglai, far in the east.
3. Also in Hinduism, eight represents prosperity and good luck. One being associated with eight is the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, and the ruler of prosperity and good fortune.
4. There are eight guardian gods of the directions in Hinduism, known as Lokapalas (guardians of the world).
5. The Noble Eightfold Path is a set of basic Buddhist beliefs to guide a believer to salvation: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
6. "Yaoyorozu no kami" (やおよろずのかみ) is a Japanese expression referring to "so many gods", as in ancient and classical speech, "eight million" (yaoyorozu) was a poetic way to mean "a huge number", similar to "33" in "thirty three million gods" (Hinduism) and "Trayastrimsha Heaven" (Buddhism, "33 gods") meaning "so many".
7. In Slavic neopaganism, the kolovrat is a symbol of eight scythes, representing the gods or specifically Dazhbog or Rod. It resembles two swastikas put together.

### Others

1. In snooker, an eight ball is a black ball that makes a player win the game if they hit it and send it to a hole.
2. "Section 8" in American slang means "crazy", after the US military section for mentally-unwell people.
3. August is the eighth month in the Gregorian calendar.
4. If you turn the eight numeral aside, you get an infinity symbol.
5. "Where have you been in the past eight years?!" (Где вы были последние восемь лет?) was a Russian nationalist phrase used to support the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
	1. The author picked up the "eight" and turned it into something else for the Terran army inspired by Russian nationalists and the army in Ukraine, by depicting the Terran invaders as a nation of immortals. He turned the "eight" into an infinity symbol, and alluded to Koschei the Deathless, a Russian legend.
6. Eight is the number of Khorne, the Chaos God of war, destruction, hate, and axes.

## See also

* 6
* 9
* 16