As some of you may be aware, I had originally created this thread with the intent to share the observation that was a repetitive formula seen within multiple symbols throughout the course of Bungie's numerous titles. But what had started off as a mere observation has now evolved into a search for answers that may help to provide insight as to what all these symbols may very well mean. Now I need to be clear, and you all need to understand as well, that there is nothing definitive about this thread. It is only MY speculation that I have developed by tying certain clues together that may or may not provide insight into what we are looking for, or at least I am trying to uncover. As well, it may appear that my own opinion or speculation in regards to certain meanings may not be accurate, or may not be what you perceive. This is expected, as many people will begin to form opinions and thoughts of their own for which I encourage you all to share if that is the case. Now to get things started, I will post the original forum post as was: [quote][i]" I know this sounds like a massive jump, but hear me out... After reading [url=http://m.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=70585296]this thread,[/url] and its several links that lead to a lot of speculation, as well as a few other articles I found online that draw a lot of parallels between previous Bungie titles, and the Halo universe as well as what may come... I couldn't help but be drawn to the symbolism that's been staring at us in the face since it was unveiled. The Marathon symbol is the symbol that represents the Marathon series and Mjolnir Recon number 54 as well. The Marathon symbol was then carried over to the Halo universe where we see it used many times in our travels, but it also serves to represent the "Reclaimers". You're all familiar with both symbols I would imagine, and while this is purely speculation from my end, it would appear that this symbol in many ways is representative of human life and quite possibly how we are to destined to protect it. The circular part in the Marathon/Reclaimer symbol can be perceived as a head, that may represent the human mind and or life in general. And then we have the curves around it which could symbolize protective arms or even arms coming together to unite. Now if you are to take the Marathon/Reclaimer symbol, and twist a few of its curves, but keep the overall intended imagery intact, you may very well wind up with the symbol that is, the Destiny symbol. The Destiny symbol seems to serve the same or very similar meaning behind the Marathon symbol from my speculation, as the shapes of their symbols seem to follow the same "formula", if you will. Though of course now we now see more of a body shape with the Destiny symbol, and still a head portion to go along with it. Both symbols somehow still seem to strongly imply some sort of importance of humanity and its need protect it as well as its position within universe. It may also continue to implicate that by some form or another, the Universes of Marathon, Halo, and Destiny, are all somehow distantly, yet closely connected. Oh and fun fact, Google the United Way symbol and notice what is in the center of it? They claim they chose this symbol because it represents "humanity". Just figured I'd add that in for fun. So, what do you guys think? Is there a creative correlation here that Bungie intended to have in order to secretly tie their many separate worlds together? Is there an even deeper meaning to the symbol than we can currently understand or know? [b]UPDATES:[/b] Possibly Clues, I did a bit of looking into symbols that represent humanity. I came up with the Vitruvian man, the famous creation of da Vinci. It can be seen [url=http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man#section_1]here[/url] on Wikipedia. The article notes: "He believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe." I found this interesting, while at the same time I'm aware it's still hard to connect the relevance of that quote to something within one of or all of Bungie's universes. But also note that you may even seem the shape of the Destiny symbol in the image of the Vitruvian man. Additional Findings, Foman was quick to remind us that the Noble 6 emblem follows the same formula of arms surrounding what could be perceived as a head. - [url=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100822152413/halo/images/thumb/c/c7/Noblelogo.png/300px-Noblelogo.png]Click[/url] EDIT 2: Sonic John has seen this pattern before. [url=http://www.bungie.net/forums/posts.aspx?postID=73485942] - Click[/url]"[/I][/quote] After reading some comments, and seeing that I was not the only one to realize the consistency of this symbol throughout Bungie titles, I honestly could not stop asking myself, "Why? What does it all mean?" So I decided to feed my curiosity by doing a little bit of searching online to see what I could dig up. And now I'll share that journey with you. Remember in my original post where I had said the Marathon/Reclaimer Symbol seemed to somehow represent humanity, or it was designed to [i]"...strongly imply some sort of importance of humanity and its need protect it as well as its position within universe."[/i]? Well my first important clue that helped bring a possible partial meaning to the symbols was the Viturvian Man. I had mentioned him previously in the original OP, but hadn't really drawn a connection between the symbols and the Vitruvian Man at this time other than the fact that they as symbols seemed similar in shape (even if just at the most basic level). But then there was that quote that I had mentioned and seen on the Wikipedia page, [i]"He believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe."[/i] I thought about this for a while, as it seemed to somehow relate to both Marathon and Halo, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. It was then I realized the analogy referenced could easily relate to both our protagonists from Marathon and Halo. Both Master Chief and Mjolnir Recon number 54 have been augmented to what could be considered both human and technological perfection. They are the Vitruvian Man. It is with their bodies that we as a species prevail and with that, they have secured our presence in the Universe. Yet there is a dent to this theory, and that is The Officer from the Marathon series (Mjolnir Recon Number 54) is a cyborg. BUT from another perspective, he can still be perceived as symbol that represents our species, as he was made by us, and it could potentially be argued that as a result of what we made, that his existence is somehow representative of our entire advanced existence as a species and our place within the Universe. Now while the "Vitruvian Man Theory" actually made some sense to me, I still felt like I was missing something. So I continued to dig. I began searching sites for symbols, and anything that would closely resemble the appearance and geometry of all of our Bungie symbols that so closely follow the same formula. Now this is the part that might get you thinking... One of the very first symbols I stumbled upon was the "Khanda". Khanda is the emblem of Sikh's and can be seen [url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Khanda1.svg]here[/url]. One site defined the Khanda as follows: [i]"The circle - the Chakra - refers to the unity of this God and people. Two single-edged swords frame the Chakra. They represent spiritual and temporal powers".[/i] Clearly you can see the resemblance to the Marathon symbol. Other definitions make note that the circle shape represents God, or eternity. This could maybe then be correlated to the Marathon symbol with the meaning that quite possibly we are the primary species that will endure forever. That is just a wild guess, but circles typically symbolize "forever" or "eternal" so I don't suppose it's too far off now, is it? Now it is important to note that the formula seen in the Bungie symbols I've been referring to as well as the Khanda symbol are NOT the only ones who have historically followed the format of having a middle figure or shape with two arms or objects coming up from either side. What's interesting to note then is that across the many different symbols that follow this format from all over the Earth, many of them posses the same meaning as well. The one particular definition of Khanda intrigued me so I did a Google search for "Spiritual and Temporal Powers". I quickly found the following images: [url=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XWC02lF8kMM/Tvw-OxuGg8I/AAAAAAAAB7w/tgo8lICkb9c/s1600/495px-John_paul_2_coa.svg.png]The Papal Crest[/url] - This image was linked from a site that discusses the meanings behind the crest. It appears to me that the crest represents a few things, among those are both Spiritual and Temporal Authority as it is stated in [url=http://true-color-of-mind.blogspot.ca/2011/12/symbols-royalty-office-and-consecration.html?m=1]the article.[/url] For those of you wondering what either of these mean, Temporal Authority or power is the power of the State or Nation. Spiritual Power is then the authority of Religion. Having both powers in one symbol could potentially imply that both most survive together, and or are needed in unison in order for whatever specific group to thrive. Attach that meaning to the circle, and what do you have as a summarized potential meaning for each Universe that Bungie has created that may all be ultimately be tied together? "Humanity will always reassume the highest position within the Universe by balancing their power in regards to their Temporal Power in the structure of things like the UNSC that unites the entire species and by their Spiritual Power which gives them faith to fight through, persevere and win wars that have higher than unlikely odds for them, such as the Human-Covenant War." [Edited on 12.05.2012 5:39 AM PST]