Symbol of Chaos
The Symbol of Chaos (also known as the Chaos Star) originates from Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné stories and their dichotomy of Law and Chaos. In them, the Symbol of Chaos comprises eight arrows in a radial pattern. The symbol has been adopted in tabletop games such as Warhammer and Dungeons & Dragons, as well as modern occult traditions, where it represents chaos magic. It has also become a symbol of political movements such as contemporary anarchism and Eurasianism.
History
Michael Moorcock conceived this symbol while writing the first Elric of Melniboné stories in the 1960s. It later became common in popular culture, appearing in occult traditions and role-playing games.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In an interview, Moorcock described how he designed the symbol:<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Quote
In the 1970s, the Chaos Star became the main symbol of chaos magic, a British occult tradition.<ref name=":1" /> It is the official symbol of the Illuminates of Thanateros, a magical organization dedicated to chaos magic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The symbol's first appearance in a commercial role-playing game was in the Dungeons & Dragons supplement Deities & Demigods, which featured gods and monsters from Moorcock's books. It was later adopted in Stormbringer (a role playing game based on Moorcock's Elric stories), Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, and Warhammer Age of Sigmar, among other games.<ref name=":0" /> It has occasionally been used astrologically as a symbol for the trans-Neptunian object 19521 Chaos.<ref name=miller>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Political uses
The Chaos Star in its original form has been adopted by multiple Eastern European and North and Latin American activist groups affiliated with post-leftism, insurrectionary anarchism and nihilist anarchism.Template:Citation needed The symbol likely came into modern anarchism movements from punk artwork and zines fulfilling the need for a unified symbol.Template:Citation needed A contributing factor to its adoption may be that Moorcock himself identifies as an anarchist.<ref name="Mythmakers & Lawbreakers">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
According to Anton Shekhovtsov, Aleksandr Dugin has used a modified version of the symbol to represent his idea of Neo-Eurasianism, and it can be seen on the logo of his Eurasia Party and the cover of his book Foundations of Geopolitics.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
See also
References
External links
Template:Chaos magic series Template:Michael Moorcock Template:Warhammer 40,000