# What does this symbol mean??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084 "2005-10-20T15:03:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Merrick\_Demos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Merrick\_Demos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merrick_Demos)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/1 "2005-10-20T15:03:49Z")
O.k. I’ve seen this symbol around on different websites, in a game and I think it was even in Constantine (but I can’t recall). Does anyone know what this symbol’s called, what it means and/or what its origins are. The symbol is at the very bottom of this page and is the only image ingulfed in a blue flame. [link](http://www.4ourdegrees.net/fire_candles_2.html) Sorry for such a poor image but it was the only one I could find. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/2 "2005-10-20T15:11:09Z")
> [@Merrick Demos](#): > > O.k. I’ve seen this symbol around on different websites, in a game and I think it was even in Constantine (but I can’t recall). Does anyone know what this symbol’s called, what it means and/or what its origins are. The symbol is at the very bottom of this page and is the only image ingulfed in a blue flame. [link](http://www.4ourdegrees.net/fire_candles_2.html) > > Sorry for such a poor image but it was the only one I could find. Thanks. 🙂 It is a stylized capital “Q” intended to symbolize the popular computer game **Quake**. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/3 "2005-10-20T15:53:47Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > It is a stylized capital “Q” intended to symbolize the popular computer game **Quake**. Or at least, it was featured in that game. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/4 "2005-10-20T15:59:39Z")
Yep. [Quake.](http://www.idsoftware.com/games/quake/quake3-gold/) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/5 "2005-10-20T16:02:54Z")
Given that the symbol is not only featured in the game, but is the icon for it, and given that the sequels to the game added vertical slashes to the center to form Roman numerals II and III, and given that it _is_ a stylized letter Q, which doesn’t stand for all that many other things, I think it’s safe to say that Quake is, indeed, the origin. ---
**Author:** ![Merrick\_Demos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Merrick\_Demos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merrick_Demos)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/6 "2005-10-20T16:58:58Z")
Alright, I’ll take it that it’s a stylized “Q”. And I have seen it in Quake. The reason why I brought it up was because I remember seeing it long before Quake was even put out so I just thought maybe it was something else. Especially since I can recall seeing it on a dark art website before and thought it might have something to do with that. But thanks for the comments 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/7 "2005-10-20T17:20:56Z")
It is a 1920s style death quake. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/8 "2005-10-20T17:37:05Z")
It looks a lot like the Quake symbol. It could also be a variation on the rune known as the [staff of Posiedon](http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/05/051.html). > [@](#): > > In pictorial reproductions of hell from the Middle Ages the sign was occasionally used to signify the spears used by the smaller devils or the Evil One, Satan himself, to torture and torment the poor human sinners in the hellfire. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/9 "2005-10-20T18:08:57Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > It looks a lot like the Quake symbol. It could also be a variation on the rune known as the [staff of Posiedon](http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/05/051.html). Who knew that Quake had been around since the Middle Ages? Bet the frame rates back then were lousy though. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-symbol-mean/327084/10 "2005-10-20T19:25:57Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Who knew that Quake had been around since the Middle Ages? > > Bet the frame rates back then were lousy though. They were decent if they could get it to run in wireframe. The lack of electricity was not so good for server uptime, though.