FIVE
Five denotes the human microcosm, centered wholeness, generative union, the senses, and spiritual aspiration, commonly figured by the pentagon, pentagram, or five-petalled flower.
Our paraphrase of what the sources say it carries.
At a glance
- Type
- Symbol
- Borne by
- 3 figures
- Traditions
- Egyptian mythology (1)Frankish/Medieval European mythology (1)Indian folklore (1)
Figures that bear it
A model judged each figure against its own description, one term at a time. Is: the figure is, or is partly, this thing. Bears: it carries the thing or is marked by it. What a figure does is filed under motifs and powers. Open "why" for the sentence the judgement rests on.
- Ash-hrau bears Egyptian mythology
why
Ash-hrau is a five-headed serpent recorded in the ancient Egyptian underworld books, described bent nearly into an oval within the sixth of the twelve hours through which the sun god travels by night.
- Kaliya bears Indian folklore
why
Descriptions of his form vary between accounts: some sources give him five heads, bejewelled and imposing, while others record traditions of a much greater number, and this inconsistency appears to reflect genuine variation across tellings rather than a single settled image.
- Quinotaur bears Frankish/Medieval European mythology
why
The Quinotaur, a creature from Frankish mythology, is a mythical sea creature, described as a bull with five horns.