The Sibylline Name & Emblem

What’s in a Name:
The original group choose the name Sibylline for its links to history, the feminine, self knowledge, and religion. The name Sibylline or Sibyl is attributed to the Greek prophetesses at the Oracle of Delphi. The Sibylline Prophesies were legendary and influenced both the Jewish and Christian world. Ultimately her main motto was “know thyself.” If you read the Charge of the Goddess you will see a reflection of this in “if that which thou seekest, thou findest not within thee, thou shalt never find it without.”

“The original "Sibyl" (her Greek name was "Sibylla") was an old woman who made predictions in an ecstatic frenzy; by the 5th century B.C. she was no more than a legendary figure in Greek mythology, but her prophecies, in Greek hexameters, were handed down in writing. She must have been good at prophesying, because her name came to be used as a title for the varied "sibyls" at oracle centers dispersed throughout the ancient world. Middle-English speakers eventually borrowed modified forms of "sibylla" ("sibile," "sybylle") to refer to those same ancient prophetesses. By the time we began to use the word to refer to prophetesses and female fortune-tellers in general, in the late 16th century, we had arrived at our modern spelling.”
- Merriam-Webster Word of the Day (c) 2004

A Picture Can Say a Thousand Words:
The Emblem of the Sibylline was crafted to show balance, connection, and the divine. Here are just some insights to its layers.

The Eternal flame burning at the top is the symbol of enlightenment and the light of Hermes.

The pinecone surmounting the staff is the thursis, symbol of Dionysus as well as the symbol of rebirth (pinecones release their seeds under fire, similar to the rebirth of the Phoenix.)

The Lunar crescent on top of the staff is a symbol of the Goddess.

The double headed axe – the Labrys – is an ancient symbol of the Goddess, and in modern times of Dianic Craft, Warrior Women and of the Sibylline Order.

The Ankh formed by the blades and the top is the symbol of eternal life through reincarnation in the womb of the Goddess.

The two blades symbolize:

The balance between the Goddess and the God, male and female

The power of both male and female joined and apart

The cutting edge of reason (Hermes)

The Warrior – the willingness to fight to protect home, family, Self, and freedom (real freedom – the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, to be left alone, to speak without fear, to live, and to worship as you please.)

The ovaries and testes (sexuality)

The Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, Crone) at the top of the phallic staff.

The Hindu principle of illumination through the female principle.

The dual nature of the God is representational through the double edged blade as well as the placement of two flutes.

The two snakes coil around each other 7 times, symbolizing the 7 chakras, the 7planets (traditional), and the male and female energies of Kundalini intertwined and enlightened. They are black and white - dual natures.

The symbols in the center of the blade are:

The descending triangle of water - the triangle being the oldest image for "woman" or Goddess and water being linked to the waters of life.

Inside the symbol for the planet Venus is repeated three times as a symbol of the The Triple Goddess.

They surround and form the symbol of the Sun - the God

The flutes are symbolic of the arts and they are the instrument of the God Pan, God of nature and also the Greek word for “All.”

93 Stars are in the background field, - 11 large stars (some are hidden by the earth). The number of Will and Love, and the number of the Goddess and the God.

A field of green, symbolizing Earth, set in the Universe, is the backdrop for the emblem.