We thought you might be interested in some background to the symbol we have designed for Manhood Online.
The symbol is, in part, an amalgam of the runic sign mannaz and the triple arrow. It also picks up on the eagle motif from Steve Biddulph’s book, being a stylized aerial shot of a flying eagle. It also just happens to incorporate the "m" of manhood. And we’ve carved it in a sandstone block to give it more soul and earthiness.
Mannaz (above left) is an old runic sign for "humanity". It resembles the double triangle of creation that joined male and female principles together in Oriental symbolism; therefore it probably stood for humanity’s two sexes considered as a unit. Ancient Scandanavian sacred dances sometimes called for a couple to join hands in the "handfasting" gesture, her right to his right, her left to his left. The sign mannaz could well be a stylized representation of two people thus joined therefore standing for the "togetherness" of humanity in general.
Triple Arrow (above right) is closely related to the trident-thunderbolt that represented the pagan god’s mating with the Triple Goddess (the triple arrow used to be viewed as a sign of virility). This symbol possessed much the same connotation as the Roman Fasces (bundle of rods). Sometimes, it was said to be a general sign of unity.
As you will see, we have dropped off two of the three of the Triple Arrows to ease the aggressiveness of the three arrows. At the same time, we want to retain the sense of focus, direction and energy. We have done this while also being linked to wider humanity through the mannaz sign. We are left with a symbol which encapsulates the ethos of Manhood Online.
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