My Mysterious Symbol

[RAVEN]

My mysterious symbol.

I found this piece of paper on the counter at a gas station. The clerk did not know what it was nor how long it had been there. I took it home to test the power of image-based searches like TinEye.com and Google's reverse image search. Those turned up nothing.

I have a funny feeling about this. My journalist senses are tingling. Have you seen this symbol before now? Does it look familiar to you? If so, let me know about it.

[Ron Caliburn]

Hopefully Matt will have a source when he gets back.

[Gotham Witch]

Huh. I have... no idea what that is. It looks possibly like an alchemical symbol of some sort, though for what I don't know.

[Sparks]

I might have seen this tattooed on some guy's back during a band after-party in Rochester, NY... but, you know, booze plays tricks on you.

[Nemesis]

I hope Santa really can't tell when you're sleeping. If he can, he's probably got me on the naughty list for sure.

It looks to me like there are three nines looped on a circle.

Nines are significant in a number of cultures. This may not be coincidence as it is said that there are nine holes in the human body. Of course, that is a somewhat mysoginistic view.

In any case, nines represent magic, dragons and the emporer in China. In Egypt you had the nine blows representing their foes. In Europe you had your nine worthies. The Greeks had nine muses. In Japan the number is unlucky because it sounds like the word pain or distress.

That there are three of them may also be significant. It could be 9+9+9 or 9X9X9 or even the number 999. It may be the that the number three itself has value. It's interesting to note that the earth is the third planet from the sun so perhaps it is some sort of planar cooridinate.

[Daichan]

Oh sweetie, you were so close but then you veered left or something.

Those aren't nines. They're poorly drawn Yin's. Possibly drawn by someone who doesn't understand that there isn't a moral good/evil assignment to the yin-yang. The yin of course is supposed to represent shadows while the yang is light but it's their togetherness that is required or the symbol isn't complete and is meaningless.

Bear no mind at all to the fact that it closely resembles the one of the three treasures of Shinto, the Magatama. The other two being the mirror and the sword. No, it would be far too mundane and easy if this were a crude diagram of a common piece of jewelery of which I have like 999.

[Shang Li]

I shall check on that, Ms. Daichan.

I believe I shall also investigate the shrines of Atsusa and Ise before visiting the divine family to ask about the Yasakani no Magatama's well being.

I truely doubt that one of the imperial regalia has been recently misplaced, but it is too important that Amaterasu's blood still hold Okami Amaterasu's gifts to be left to chance.