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Star Iconography Series: Directory

After collecting and comparing the massive infusion of star-related iconography we got in s6, I wound up splitting the ensuing analysis into three additional posts because a) they're each quite long, and b) people might like to read or reblog only specific topic sections instead of EVERYTHING. The posts do kind of each follow another, but you should have to read them in any particular order or any individual one at all.

I did still want to have a single post where all four can be accessed, so here we are:

Introduction/Compilation - Basic collection of star icon and imagery throughout the series so far, grouped by context: Celestial elves and the Starscraper, Startouch elves, and other (pre-s6) sources

The Primal Star - What wound up being another post analyzing the changing orientation of the Star primal symbol and what that may or may not signify, leaning heavily on s6 examples

Four-Point and Triple Stars - Some thoughts on the most basic/common star shape and the three-star grouping that recurs just enough to be suspicious

Enhanced/Primordial Stars - Deep (ha!) dive on the possible connections between what's generally referred to as the "deep magic symbol" and significant examples of star icons that diverge from the primal/four-point root, including (believe it or not) the cursed coin symbol

And a final, cross-post thought: Leola's star in the star map?

Manages to incorporate a basic four-point star, a Star primal symbol in reversed orientation (make of that what you will), and hint at an eight-point circle-and-line primordial star. Also I'm insane.

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Star Iconography: Enhanced/Primordial Stars

This post is part of a series collecting, categorizing, and exploring types of star iconography used through s6. Reading the other parts is not required to understand any individual post, but they are related.

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So this takes a bit of explanation: a lot of people refer to the messy, many-pointed star-like symbol that we see on the book containing the Infantis Sanguine spell as "the deep magic symbol" but I personally prefer to refer to it as the "primordial star" since a) I'm pretentious as hell, and b) the term "deep magic" hasn't been introduced in the setting and we know so little about it, I think it's a bit presumptuous to declare "all of deep magic collectively has a symbol, and this is it."

The primordial star has eleven "points," which is a very weird number, but if all the similar symbols are related the number of points/rays is inconsistent, anyway. We see very similar adornments on Aaravos's cloak, but the arrangement of points isn't quite the same.

Back to that in a moment, but keep some of the distinguishing features of the primordial star in mind as we go over some of the other star symbols with more than four points: namely a) many points (duh), b) the points/rays are thin and linear, and c) the center is a circle.

Most of the star symbols with more than four points are eight-pointed, and the most prominent one we see in s6 (or at all) is probably the star symbol that appears on the blindfolds of Celestial elves who have been exposed to pure starlight. The symbol itself is a four-point star with a central circle, with four additional small diamond shapes added to create another four points. Within the eye shape of the blindfolds, the star forms the iris/pupil.

This is interesting because the star is a symbol of a new stage of enlightenment—to be exposed to the pure starlight at the top of the Starscraper on a moonless night is clearly a rite of passage for the Celestial elves, where their spiritual eye, represented on the blindfold that protects their real eyes from being tainted by the sun or moon, is opened.

So why isn't it the Star primal symbol? The Starscraper is encrusted with Star primal symbols, so it's definitely a big deal for the Celestial elves... but the Celestial elves don't actually talk about the Star primal much (or the Star arcanum at all, even though you could see both the moonless night ritual and the trial Callum undergoes as working to develop an understanding of the Star arcanum)... instead they refer to the stars more directly, not as a primal source but a separate, higher power.

Additionally, while there's a definite relationship between the Celestial elves' insignia and their blindfolds—the insignia is an eye within a star, the blindfold is a star within an eye—the star shapes are pretty distinct from each other. Like, why does the insignia only have four points (or why does the blindfold star have the extra four)?

Well, let's take a look at the other prominent eight-point star symbol appearing in s6: the central symbol of Amor Stella Vitae.

Bears more than a passing resemblance, doesn't it? A distinct four-point star, four extra shapes for additional points, and a center circle diamond.

Amor Stella Vitae is a whole thing in its own right, as the only "Star" spell we've thus far seen... and I put those quotes because I'm not convinced this is a Star primal spell in the way that like, Aspiro is a Sky primal spell. For one, it explicitly uses components beyond the source for Star primal magic (the quasar diamond). We've never seen that with primal magic before—instead it's a pretty explicit reference to dark magic, though the other components don't appear to be inherently magical the way dark magic reagents usually are. Furthermore, while Amor Stella Vitae does begin with drawing a rune in a manner similar to other primal rune spells—and note that while the rune could be called a four-point star, it's in an orientation none of the four-point stars we've ever seen have been—the way the rune expands on its own isn't something we've seen a primal rune do. Not to mention that if you check out my magic circle tag... well, pretty much everything aesthetically similar that we've seen so far has been associated with dark magic or Kim'dael's blood magic.

Here's the thesis I'm getting at: we're vaguely aware that there's a kind of magic distinct from primal magic—so-called "deep magic"—and it has some heavily implied connections to dark magic and blood magic. Additionally, Startouch elves are the "First Elves," predating the other primal elves—suggesting that the magical power of the stars may precede the primal sources, at least as known by elves and humans. There may be Star primal magic similar to the other primal rune magic we've seen so far, or it's possible that there isn't really any magic of that kind and it all has the deep magic-adjacent nature of Amor Stella Vitae.

Star symbols that edge toward resemblance to the primordial star—center circle, many points, and/or graphically linear—is a hint at that connection or presence of the stars as a power outside the primal sources. The Celestial elves are attempting to commune with that deeper power, though they respect the Star primal, possibly because it has a place in the Cosmic Order.

Other examples hint at age—a lot of the information we're exposed to about Startouch elves and the Star primal is lost to the other characters. In the scenes with Aaravos and Leola, the human girl has a line-and-dot design on her dress that resembles a four-point star as interpreted though the graphical lens of the primordial star... a connection I'd hesitate to make except that we see a similar symbol (though with eight points) in the Starscraper:

Similarly, the Celestial elves' Elder—the only Celestial elf still living from the time of the last moonless night—has a symbol on his visor that is distinct from the one the younger adherents receive on their blindfolds. His symbol is more directly reminiscent of the primordial star in its strong center circle and linear points.

One place we notably don't see these many-pointed or primordial-influenced star symbols is in the context of Startouch elves other than Aaravos. The closest opportunity would be the platform for the accused in the Cosmic Justice scene. Both that and the Starscraper elevator platforms are circles containing central four-point stars, but while the Starscraper elevator includes an eight-point star that works nicely with the circular frame... the Cosmic Justice platform manages to have a design that seems to go out of its way to avoid evoking a star with any more than four points.

Finally, to circle back to the primordial star and deep/star/blood magic, let's take a look at something I didn't call out when collecting examples in the first post of this series:

When the primordial star symbol was introduced at the end of s5, it wasn't hard to identify a relationship between it and the symbol on the back of the cursed coins, which were also prominent that season... but it was hard to explain what that connection might be.

Now we have a bunch more pieces of the puzzle. Starting with the cursed coins: the Staff of Ziard can empower dark magic spells, but the spells unique to it, and its core purpose, are related to the capture and transfer of essence/souls. In s6 we learn that a) the souls trapped in the cursed coins are in fact split, with one portion in the coin itself and the rest stuck in the in-between and unable to pass on, and b) the Staff of Ziard contains a quasar diamond, though it's a little ambiguous as to whether that's the source of its power.

At the start of s6, we see that Claudia has performed the spell to "use every drop of [Sir Sparkelpuff's] living essence to restore [Viren's] life," i.e., captured the essence from Sir Sparklepuff to transfer to Viren, and it's the same damn symbol. Then, at the end of s6, we have some kind of star-related magic (using the quasar diamonds) used to restore a "lost" soul to the living world—another example of magically moving essence around.

So again we have a connection between star magic and dark magic, in the Staff of Ziard (which enables dark magic spells that trap or release essence/souls) containing a quasar diamond, which is then used in a star magic spell to do essentially the same thing. Furthermore, if there's a similar connection between deep magic, pre-primal star magic, and the essence/soul itself as the inherent shared source behind all magical power—Startouch elves were the first elves, "We are, all of us, stardust," etc.—the primordial star symbol could also relate to essence/souls... meaning it makes perfect sense for a split or broken version of it to be associated with spells that sever or split souls.

Now, if I'm right, I suspect some of this is going to be very prominent in s7, with the whole "invert life and death" thing and us having been introduced to the in-between and other stuff. So yeah, we'll see.

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Star Iconography: Four-Point and Triple Stars

This post is part of a series collecting, categorizing, and exploring types of star iconography used through s6. Reading the other parts is not required to understand any individual post, but they are related.

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The four-point star can be interpreted as the standard star shape/symbol within the setting—representing stars in general as seen in the sky, rather than the primal source of The Stars. The symbol is universal enough to appear in a child's drawings:

Though the four-point star is of course associated with the same four-point shape in the Star primal symbol, it's a lot more malleable. It can be highly geometric and composed of precise lines, or it can be effectively a rhombus/diamond shape with slightly concave sides. Sometimes one point—usually the bottom one—is elongated.

The four-point star appears in pretty much every star-related context, from the Celestial elves and the Starscraper to the Startouch elves themselves, and to elven documents related to them. The Celestial elves even incorporate it in their insignia, rather than the primal symbol:

The decorations throughout the Starscraper also frequently combine the Star primal symbol enclosed within a four-point star, which is probably just a way to make everything look fancier but is also interesting in the context of their insignia being the eye within the four-point star.

Now, I don't think there's necessarily any meaning to the four-point star and its use—it's a symbol that says "star" without saying "Star primal" and all that entails, which is something visually needed. So this is going to get a bit... out there, but I want to call attention to the recurring prominent decorative use of triple stars: three four-point stars or diamonds in a cluster.

Leola wears three star/diamonds in her hair, the Merciful One has three decorating the waist of their robes, Aaravos has three on each of his god-dang literal face cheeks.

Obviously there is a very strong chance that it's all is coincidence due to three being a very aesthetic number of things to arrange—way better than two or four, and five is often just too many. This means even the solid predominance of three-star clusters in the Star primal symbol concept art could mean nothing at all:

But then we start to get things like "only three quasar diamonds, of unknown origin, in the entire world" and the three star/diamond crest on the "Chronicles of Elarion" cover, and I dunno... I start to go huh.

Is the number three, particularly three stars, of significance to Startouch elves, and/or ancient humans? Does it commemorate three significant star-related beings? There's a lot of emphasis in the series on character triads, and we still don't know anything about how Laurelion fits in with Aaravos and Startouch elves in Xadia. Is it related to why there are only three quasar diamonds? Or is there a connection between only a couple of these elements, like the three quasar diamonds and Elarion, and the rest are aesthetic coincidence?

This is all stuff I think is unlikely to be explored or resolved in s7, unless it gets into what's up with the whole "three quasar diamonds" thing. But it's neat to think about.

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Star Iconography: The Primal Star

This post is part of a series collecting, categorizing, and exploring types of star iconography used through s6. Reading the other parts is not required to understand any individual post, but they are related.

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So just to kick off with some discussion of the symbol itself, I've written before about how the primal source symbol concept art and the concept designs for Aaravos strongly suggests that a) the decision to place the Star primal symbol on Aaravos's chest was not introduced at the start of the design cycle, and b) the decision to put the Star primal symbol on Aaravos's chest informed the final symbol design and consequently the designs for the other primal sources symbols.

The Star is the only one of the primal source symbols (i.e. not including the dark magic symbol) that is symmetrical on even one axis, and it's also the only one we see used in more than one orientation. It was clear from at least the introduction of the Mystery of Aaravos titling, if not earlier, that the Star primal symbol on Aaravos's chest was in a reversed, rather than upright, orientation. We subsequently got a massive infusion of Star primal symbol examples in s6, and are better able to examine what the orientation might mean in context.

And it almost certainly does have a meaning—they could easily have been 100% consistent with the orientation in all contexts, or they could have just closed up the circle and made it symmetrical on both axes. Every time they place the Star primal symbol, there's an informed choice about which orientation it uses. (Unless they make a mistake with it.)

As I noted in the introduction for this series, within the general context of the setting, the primal source symbols are generally used sparingly and in contexts closely connected to the primal source, like the primal nexuses. This isn't universal: the arches and canopies of the Moon Nexus temple are decorated with Moon primal symbols, and the gate to Umber Tor (the Earth Nexus) is marked with an Earth primal symbol, but the Storm Spire and the Sunforge (confirmed as the nexuses for Sky and Sun, respectively) do not use the symbols of their primal sources the same way, or at all. Furthermore, when discussing the Star primal, Tales of Xadia notes that its symbol is "extremely rare in modern Xadia" and can occasionally be found in "seemingly random ancient ruins."

So given that the Starscraper is completely encrusted with Star primal symbols and is essentially a monastery dedicated to pondering the sacred stars, I think it's a pretty low-risk bet that it is, in fact, the Star Nexus (if there is one).

What's interesting in that case is how every single instance of the Star primal symbol in the Starscraper is in its "reversed" orientation. The Star primal symbol is the only one of the primal source symbols we've seen to even have multiple orientations, which definitely implies some kind of significance. After all, we've been discussing the implications of the one on Aaravos's chest being reversed for years, now—we just didn't have any basis of comparison for it until s6.

For a long time, it was assumed that the reversed Star primal had to do with Aaravos's status as a "fallen" Startouch elf. However, if the concept of "fallen" is meant to carry the same negative connotations as it usually does, the use of the reversed Star primal symbol doesn't line up. Even without the Starscraper in the mix, the Star primal symbol Leola wears is reversed while Aaravos's is upright—it would be super weird for Aaravos to have a negative mark displayed on his beloved daughter like that.

So the orientation of the Star primal symbol appears to be neutral, without connection to Aaravos being "fallen"—at least, as we are given to understand "fallen." I say that because my theory, which covers like 95% of known cases consistently, is that the Star primal orientation has to do with association or connection to the earthly/Xadian plane (realm? whatever) versus the celestial one, or possibly with the Celestial Council itself, specifically. So in the case of the Starscraper, a place consecrated to communing with the stars themselves, the symbols are in reversed orientation because a) they're very aware of the distinction between the two realms, and b) when the stars look down, they see their divine reflections, as if in a mirror.

My obsession with Ripples aside, we're told that Startouch elves can only cross over to manifest in Xadia at specific times, meaning there's a solid division between the two realms. Aaravos also goes into the Celestial Council very aggressively, and is addressed by them as close to a peer—"You have seen what we have all seen, Aaravos"—so while they may have more authority than he does at that moment (due to him being manifest in Xadia?), they don't seem to be inherently due additional respect or deference from rank. We've even seen Aaravos wearing a crown that is more ornate than the ones we see on the Council members. I think the implication could be that while Aaravos is manifest in Xadia and fascinated with it as much as Leola is, he still retains a connection to... something, whether that's just the celestial realm itself or something else all the celestial Startouch elves share. Meanwhile, whether due to age or that she was born on/is very connected with Xadia, Leola does not have the same connection.

The complicated part is that Aaravos's symbol is upright when he's in Xadia with Leola, and then reversed when the Merciful One visits him as he mourns... and TMO's symbol is also reversed at that time. This makes it difficult to determine for sure whether the connection is with a vast and inherent concept like the Cosmos, or a more nuanced and voluntary one like commitment to the Cosmic Order. If it's the latter, there's an implication that the Merciful One has become similarly disillusioned or broken away, given their reversed symbol. Which, I mean... if I had been like "look, how about we cut this literal child a little slack, here" and that got twisted into "okay, the official extent of our mercy is that her dad can opt to die with her," I'd be flipping everyone a double bird on my way out at the absolute least.

Now, it is alternately entirely possible that they messed up the intended orientation of the symbol at least once. I mean, they whole-ass forgot Lain's horns in that one s6e9 credits sketch. It happens. We could very well be working with a pool that includes bad data, and the real intent is something completely different.

Anyway, I think there's a decent chance this is something we'll get some kind of answer for in s7, assuming there's some detailing of Aaravos's relationship with the Celestial Council and other Startouch elves... but there's also a chance that we won't find out until there's more Orphan Queen-era material, or possibly ever! There are honestly just way too many mysteries in the details and history of the setting for me to believe they will neatly wrap everything up we don't know in the next nine episodes, so who knows. Maybe they'll be more free with divulging things they intended to resolve but had to cut once the arc is over.

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Star Iconography: Introduction/Compilation

This post is part of a series collecting, categorizing, and exploring types of star iconography used through s6. Reading the other parts is not required to understand any individual post, but they are related.

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In this post I'm essentially cataloging the basic findings of what types of symbols are used and where. Highlighting connections, comparisons, and other analysis will be handled in subsequent posts.

The Star Primal

Each of the primal sources has an associated symbol, which are used sparingly within the setting itself—aside from the Key of Aaravos, we mostly see them used in primal nexus architecture or other highly ritualized magical contexts. However, they are also (at least on the Xadian side) universal enough that Rayla, despite being neither a mage nor a priest/scholar, can draw all six accurately:

We also see the "correct" upright orientation of the Star primal symbol (the same way Rayla draws it) in a magical context in s6:

The orientation wasn't exactly a mystery before, but most examples of the upright symbol were taken from sources not internal to the setting, such as the title graphic or Tales of Xadia.

The main takeaway here should be that, for the setting characters familiar with the primal source symbols, whether the Star is upright or reversed should be immediately obvious.

The Celestial Elves

The majority of Celestial elf iconography is derived from the four-point star of the Star primal. What is presumably their insignia, seen on the sleeves of their uniform, shows a four-point star with the "opened eye" of one who has perceived pure starlight at its center:

The exterior architecture of the Starscraper is also composed almost entirely of four-point stars:

And the interior is decorated with Star primal symbols, frequently set within a separate four-point star. When they have a perceivable orientation, these Star primal symbols are universally reversed:

There is also a much smaller set of eight-point star use, including four-point stars enhanced to imply eight points. This is particularly notable in the symbol that appears on their blindfolds when exposed to pure starlight for the first time, a four-point star with four additional diamond points enhancing it:

The pinnacle of the Starscraper opens in an effect of an eight-point star, and there's one little eight-point star lurking among the Star primal symbol decorations of the ornate main entrance area:

Finally, in a very interesting anomaly, the Elder's visor bears an emblem with little relationship to the four- or eight-point star of the other blindfolds, instead showing a circle with six "ray" offshoots:

Startouch Elves

Since s6 gives us more than one (1) singular Startouch elf, we can start examining some of the ways they decorate themselves and their environments. As with everyone except the Celestial elves, we see the Star primal symbol used very sparingly: while Aaravos and the Merciful One have the symbols on their chests exposed, Leola's torso is fully clothed but with the symbol replicated in reversed orientation on her clothing.

Other star-related decorative elements used by Startouch elves to ornament themselves appear to include four-point star or diamond shapes:

The simple line-and-circle embellishments on Aaravos's clothing extend to the Merciful One's clothing as well, suggesting that they are also a broader design element.

We also get a larger sample size of Startouch elf crowns, though all five that we see (the Council plus the Merciful One) are identical, composed of a solid diamond shape overlapped with a hollow diamond shape open at its top point:

Interestingly, Aaravos's own crown is more ornate, as seen in his s1e1 appearance. Normally I take everything in this shot with a hefty grain of salt, but the same crown (and overall) design was reinforced in both the "Fallen Star" flashback sequence and the pre-s6 promo image set:

Architecturally, our only main example is the Cosmic Justice platform, which is decorated with a four-point star on both sides, though significantly more ornate on its top:

There's also Aaravos's home, but it has little to nothing in the way of star iconography decoration that I could find in my existing screenshots (because I really don't have it in me to comb through every shot of the place over five seasons of appearances), instead relying on the sort of vaguely celestial overlapping circles and curves used in settings like the Moon Nexus or Great Bookery. The only exception is what may be a four-point star at the center of the floor:

And finally, even Leola herself uses the four-point star as a visual element when drawing her father:

Other Sources

There are a couple instances of written or illustrated material regarding Star- or Startouch-adjacent topics from previous seasons that are worth giving another look.

The Midnight Star book page includes use of the reversed Star primal symbol with its center blacked out, the way it is perceived on the fallen Aaravos's chest:

Since the poem is about Aaravos, it's pretty reasonable that there would be a representation of him included in this manner. There is also an inclusion of an unusual eight-point star composed of a circle and single lines.

Callum also reviews two significant pages in the Sunfire elf Great Bookery while searching for information about Startouch elves, one on the Novablade and one showing the Starscraper:

It's unclear whether these pages are meant to be from the same book, and whether that book is of Sunfire elf origin or from another source, but they're embellished very similarly so I'm going to (briefly) treat them as a unit. Both pages are framed with a design that leans heavily on the four-point star (both with four equal points and with one elongated point) and vine-like elements similar to the etched designs on the Staff of Ziard. The Starscraper illustration page further derives those elements directly from the appearance of Startouch elf horns.

Finally, we have the star map, where the constellations use a fairly standard setup of circles connected by lines to indicate the stars that make them up:

Leola's Last Wish is highlighted in the star map illustrations with a four-point star embellished with a circle and additional four radiating points.

What about...?

Yes, I've left out Amor Stella Vitae, but trust me, I will get to it. I'm bumped up against the images-per-post limit for this one, already.

As mentioned before, the next parts will distill some of this down into related groups and explore some connections and possible significance in the way they are used. Hopefully that will follow sooner, rather than later. Pray for me, fam.

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For posterity's sake, I did go through Dreamer's Nightmare and there are no runes, glyphs, or writing worth noting.

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Interestingly, the runes on Pharos's new dark priest digs are not the same as the ones he had in s3... they look like they're supposed to be the same runes, but are a lot less detailed. They're more similar to the ones from his design in the artbook.

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Today in "Questions No One Asked": Is Viren's handwriting a font?

In short, no. Or if it is, it's a ridiculously complex and probably heinously expensive one.

If you look carefully at the individual letters that are repeated frequently, they're actually nearly all quite different. For example, there's a good number of lower-case "f" instances in close proximity, and only two of them appear to be identical:

Most likely scenario here is whoever was painstakingly writing this out just copy-pasted short, recurring words like "of."

Anyway, it also looks like the single capital "I" has been reused at least once—the distortion from the paper curl makes it hard to determine whether this is two pairs or all four are the same:

There are fonts that are meant to mimic handwriting and include multiple alternates for each letter that are used based on context or just general randomness, but I have personally never seen one as complex as it would need to be to produce this example.

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Significantly, these are not reused pages, suggesting we'll be seeing them again at some point. 👀

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@elvesdragonsanddarkmagic generously provided their isolated redraws of these runes:

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