The BDSM Emblem

 

 

(Note: there are doubts about the copyright's claims of quagmyr, the Emblem Project's  supposed author)

 

The BDSM emblem has been created for helping people in the game identifying themselves. I don't know how many people uses it (if somebody) but I think that it could be fun.

 

The emblem is not in public domain, it has been copyrighted by the author, but he has granted freedom of use for non commercial purposes. For commercial uses, or if in doubt, check with him ⁽¹⁾.

 

It is based on a triskele, triskel or triskellion (plural triskelia or triskeles) Latin word derived from the Greek “triskelês”: tri=Three + skelos=leg ( three legged) a design with three divisions which was used as a religious symbol by the Greek, the Romans and the Celts (the last ones, even now).

 

It was inspired in the symbols used as a recognition mechanism by the members of the Society of Roissy, from Pauline Reage’s Story of O. In the first chapter, she describes it as:

“... curious iron rings, inwardly circled in gold, with the signet large and heavy, as the signet of a gentleman but bulkier, carrying, inlaid in gold, the design of a sort of wheel with three spokes, each of which formed a spiral, resembling the solar wheel of the Celts.”

Again in Chapter III, when O receives permanent rings on her vulva, from each of the golden rings hangs

“... a disk of the same metal ... on one of its faces, a Triskel inlaid in gold”

And in the originally suppressed fifth chapter, published afterwards independently as “Return to Roissy”, she says:

“the man extends an open hand with a medal on the palm, showing in iron on a gold background, the Triskel of Roissy.”,

 used again for recognition.
 

The meaning

 

This is the official meaning of the symbol, as written by the creator:

"The BDSM emblem has no "obvious" symbolism because it was created to be enigmatic. To the vanilla observer who would be put off by BDSM, it is merely an attractive piece of jewelry. Thus, we can wear it freely as a friendly salute, nod, and wink to other BDSMers we should happen to pass on the sidewalks and in the hallways of our daily lives.

 

To the insider, however, the Emblem is full of meaning.

 

The three divisions represent the various threesomes of BDSM. First of all, the three divisions of BDSM itself: B&D, D&S, and S&M. Secondly, the three-way creed of BDSM behavior: Safe, Sane, and Consensual. Thirdly, the three divisions of our community: Tops, Bottoms, and Switches.

 

It is this third symbolism that gives meaning to the holes in each unit. Since BDSM is at the very least a play style and at its greatest a love style, the holes represent the incompleteness of any individual within the BDSM context. However "together" and "whole" individuals may be, there remains a void within them that can only be filled by a complimentary other. BDSM cannot be done alone.

 

The resemblance to a three-way variation on the Yin-Yang symbol is not accidental. As the curved outline of Yin and Yang represents the hazy border between where one ends and the other begins, so do the curved borders here represent the indistinct divisions between B&D, D&S, and S&M.

 

The metal and metallic color of the medallion represents the chains or irons of BDSM servitude/ownership. The three inner fields are black, representing a celebration of the controlled dark side of BDSM sexuality.

 

The curved lines themselves can be seen as a stylized depiction of a lash as it swings, or even an arm in motion to deliver an erotic spanking. The all-embracing circle, of course, represents the overlying unity of it all and the oneness of a community that protects its own."

 

Be careful

If you are going to reproduce the emblem, do it right.

 

What makes a Triskele a BDSM Emblem are the details:

• The rims and spokes are of a color indicating a metal, which can be gold, iron or silver. 
• The rims and spokes are of uniform width with the arms rotating clockwise.
• The inner fields are black.
• The marks in the fields are holes (you should see the background through them) and not dots. 

 

Exactly so is the registered Triskele that its owner authorizes to reproduce freely for non-commercial purposes. If you use a variation, and hit one that is registered by somebody else, you risk a copyright violation lawsuit.

 

Many organizations use variations on the Triskele for identification, so don't try to talk on spanking with  somebody that doesn't wear the right symbol. He could be a Celt druid, a Buddhist drummer or a member of the US Department of Transportation, among several others.

 

⁽¹⁾If you want to know more about the emblem, go to the Emblem Project site (back)

 

Published: 03/26/03

Rev: 03/30/03; 06/11/03; 09/19/03; 09/17/04