Unity symbol

Unity symbol drawn on paper

The unity symbol was a national symbol of the Principality of New Eiffel that represented unity and pacifism. The symbol consists of the capital letter zed with a tilde (~) centre-middle and a caret (^) at its top, with two vertical lines (|) on both sides of the symbol. Created by Zabëlle Skye, the origin of the unity symbol is obscure, but it may have evolved from either the currency symbol for the Finlandic pound in the Republic of New Finland—the predecessor state to the Principality of New Eiffel—created on 1 January 2018, or later in the year from several stylised doodles by Skye. The completed symbol is first attested on 12 August 2018, and its connotations to peace and unity were promoted throughout 2019. After the dissolution of New Eiffel on 1 November 2020, several unofficial successor states—including the 2022 Principality of New Eiffel and the Autonomous State of Novaskye—have attempted without success to revive the symbol.

History

A banknote of the Finlandic pound

The origin of the unity symbol is obscure, but there are two possibilities. The zed with a tilde (~) crossed through its centre was first used on 1 January 2018 on the Finlandic pound in the Republic of New Finland, the predecessor state to the Principality of New Eiffel. The letter was chosen by Zabëlle Skye, founder of the Principality of New Eiffel and its predecessors, to represent the currency because he either found it to be unique or because of his fondness for Z. The reason Skye chose a tilde instead of a line is unknown, but Skye nevertheless contends that the symbol likely did not predate this currency. Conversely, Skye proposes that the unity symbol may have developed separately from the currency symbol during mid-2018, though he claims the unuty symbol may have taken inspiration from it.

During his childhood, Skye regularly enjoyed doodling on his bed's white wooden frame. He would often scribble his real name in stylised fonts, eventually shortening this to just a zed (Z) and later an encircled zed (ⓩ), which Skye claimed at the time was his signature. In retrospect, Skye believes that he eventually began making this zed more complex over time, leading to the gradual creation of what was to become the unity symbol. The zed with a tilde (~) crossed through its centre and a carrot (^) atop it is first attested on 14 June 2018, although Skye asserts that said symbol actually predates this date "by a number of months", but he does believe that it was first created that same year. Skye began drawing this symbol more often throughout mid- and late 2018, prominently in the condensation on windows and mirrors as well as in his bedroom. The symbol with two vertical lines (|) beside it is first attested on 12 August 2018, and became a cultural symbol of the micronation either that same month or in September.

The unity symbol was added to the bottom of the coat of arms of Hsed—a territory of New Eiffel—on 10 September, but it never appeared on any other official symbols or documents in the principality. Throughout 2019, Skye used the symbol to promote unity and pacifism. On 20 April 2020, when writing an entry on micronational wiki and encyclopaedia MicroWiki for the national symbols of Posaf, Nicholas Randouler took inspiration from the unity symbol. He believed it would be appropriate for the Posafian Sun—created in late 2018—to be added to the article so that other micronationalists could know about the symbol outside of Posaf. When doing so he received positive responses from other micronations that learned about the symbol.

After the dissolution of New Eiffel on 1 November 2020, several unofficial successor states—including the 2022 Principality of New Eiffel and the Autonomous State of Novaskye—have attempted without success to revive the symbol.

See also

• Culture of New Eiffel