A Mystic Monumental Script
by Gary J. Shannon

Created: Nov 9 2011
Last Update: Nov 10 2011

This monumental script, i.e. a script meant for incising into monuments, consists only of straight lines. I call it "mystical" because the supposed fictional culture that might use it bases the script upon the lines of a star-like figure that might be regarded as having some cosomological or mystical significance to that culture.


figure 1. The "Mystic Grid" upon which the script is based.

Glyph Design Rules

One feature of the glyphs is some kind of symmetry. Each glyph is generated from a base sub-figure which occupies only one half of the star grid. This could be any half, but we will use the left half for purposes of illustration.


figure 2. The active half of the star grid.

A figure drawn in this half grid is then copied into the other half by one of three methods:

  1. The figure is reflected left to right.
  2. The figure is reflected left to right and flipped top to bottom.
  3. The figure is copied unchanged.

Each resulting figure is then reflected and/or rotated into as many as four unique versions. Figures that have more symmetries might not generate as many unique rotations and reflections. These figures might be regarded as special in some way to the system of writing. The third set of figures below demonstrates a character that does not change with rotation or reflection.

Mirror Image Mirror And Flip Copy Unchanged

Mirror Image Mirror And Flip Copy Unchanged

Mirror Image Mirror And Flip Copy Unchanged

Note that the two columns on the left above show a figure that is not altered by reflection or rotation.

There is also the possibility that after generating a character using the reflection and rotation methods above, some additional line or lines can be added, asymmetrically, to the figure. This would expand the universe of possible figures to include assymetric designs, as shown in the figure below.


An Asymmetrical Character

Some combinations do not produce attractive glyphs. For example, the three glyphs below are all produced from the same half-figure, but only one of them, the A-like figure, is useable. The other two have short segments with sharp angles that don't lend themselves to monumental carved inscriptions. The useable figure can be presented in any one of four rotations.


Both suitable and unsuitable characters
from the same half-figure

There are certainly enough distinct symbols possible for this system to be either an alphabet or a syllabary, and there are probably enough to make a logographic writing system possible.




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