New Sigil: “To Forgive Rape”

“To forgive rape.”

This was not an easy sigil to make. In fact, when I saw the request for this sigil in the “Ask Me Anything” Sigil Daily Tumblr feed, I nearly didn’t respond to it. Rape, and sexual abuse in general, is a topic I’m woefully underqualified to discuss in any meaningful way. There is nothing I can draw on a piece of paper that can speak to the complex web of pain such abuse creates.

But then I realized I was wrong. I wasn’t being asked to solve anyone else’s problem, or anything close to that. I was being asked to draw a symbol, plain and simple. And that was something I could do.

This symbol went through dozens of iterations, from Phoenician glyphs to Ghanan Adinkra. Nothing seemed to work. So I went back to basics. If you know Germanic runes, you can probably make out most of this sigil’s message with little effort. Save for the Adinkra Mpatapo loop structure binding the corners, it’s a brand of forgiveness forged with stubborn Norse steel.

This is a strong sigil, because the woman who asked for this sigil is strong. This brand of forgiveness can only come from strength.