Terms of use

These terms cover oldsymbols.com and whatdoesthissymbolmean.com, which are run together by Rory Hansen. By using either site you agree to them.

What the pages are

The pages trace where symbols come from and what they have meant, in the words of the sources they cite. Beliefs are described as the beliefs of the people who hold them; describing a belief or a practice is not endorsing it.

Each page lists the sources its facts were checked against. We correct mistakes when we find them or are told about them, but we can’t promise that every page is complete or free of errors. If you spot one, use “Report a problem” on the page.

Using our pages

You may read the pages, link to them and share links freely. You may also print pages, including their drawings, for your own personal use and for teaching in a classroom, as long as the copy is not sold and keeps the site’s name and the page’s address. Any other copying, republishing or use in a product needs our permission first: write to contact@oldsymbols.com.

What isn’t ours

Quotations belong to their authors and publishers, who are named in each page’s sources. Photographs credited on a page are used under the licence shown beside them, and you need that licence, not these terms, to reuse them. Logos, certification marks, rating marks and other marks we draw to identify them belong to their owners; showing a mark doesn’t mean its owner endorses this site.

Links to other sites

Pages link to their sources and to other sites. We don’t control those sites and aren’t responsible for what they contain.

Changes to these terms

If we change these terms, the new version is posted here with its date.

Last updated October 2, 2026.