thumb|The Chaos Star
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. Tabletop roleplaying games and other forms of popular culture, and real world organizations and movements have subsequently used it as a symbol.
Origins
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. In an interview, Moorcock described how he designed the symbol:
In occultism
In the late 1970s, the Chaos Star became the main symbol of chaos magic, a branch of western esotericism which originated in England. It has occasionally been used astrologically as a symbol for the trans-Neptunian object 19521 Chaos.
In gaming
The symbol's first appearance in a commercial role-playing game was in the Dungeons & Dragons supplement Deities & Demigods, which featured Elric, as well as gods and monsters related to the Elric series. It was also used by Stormbringer, Chaosium's licensed adaptation of the Elric stories, and by Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, and Warhammer Age of Sigmar, among other games.
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.
See also
- Arrow Cross
- Chaostar
- Dingir
- Unicursal hexagram
- Octagram