The Origin and Meaning of the Recusant’s Sigil
Death
Xehanort: “X”… A most ancient letter. Some say “kye,” but the meaning is the same. Death… A letter that spells endings.
This has been something I’ve been meaning to discuss in-depth for a long time—The Recusant’s Sigil, otherwise known as the Mark of Heresy. It really bothered me how this aspect of the story was left totally unexplored. It was obviously going to factor heavily into BBS Volume 2, explaining Xehanort’s obsession with darkness, his ambitions, and even his ability to time travel. What exactly is the Recusant’s Sigil and why does it mean so much to Xehanort? What does it have to do with the X-blade? And why does it mean “death” and “endings”?
Well, one reason is that “X” is thought to be the Mark of the Beast. It should also be noted that in Greek, 666=XXX. Interestingly, in Judaic kabbalah the number 666 is actually used to represent the creation and perfection of the world. Which is probably closer to how Xehanort sees it.
But by far the most familar usage of “X” meaning death is the skull and crossbones. In the Middle Ages, it was a common tombstone decoration, and appeared in many “memento mori,” which were illustrative reminders of mortality. In more recent times, the skull and crossbones signifies poison.
Endings
The skull and crossbones is also an important emblem in Masonry, where it symbolizes the transience of the material world, and it is used in initiation rituals. It symbolizes the gateway to the higher realms of understanding only achievable through spiritual death and rebirth.
Freemasons use the ‘X’ to symbolize transformation. For example, the first sign is that of crossing the hands over the chest, “cross my heart and hope to die”. This phrase demonstrates that the initiate will be penalized with death if they ever reveal the secrets.
One must go through various initiation rituals before attaining the next rank in their journey of enlightenment. The 17th degree is considered the transformation, or change of the initiate. There is a certain part of the ritual called “the crossing of cordons”. They cite this as a reference to the point in the heavens where “the celestial equator crosses the plane of the ecliptic”, basically referring to changes made over time.
The cordons used in this ‘X’ transformation ceremony are depicted with black and white—the classic symbol of duality secret groups like these are always referencing. That’s why you always see the black and white checkered floor in Masonic imagery. They are pushing the idea of joining opposites and finding a new equilibrium. It’s the same with Xehanort.
The χ-Blade
If Kingdom Hearts is a lock, then this blade from the age of fairy tales was the key.
It could be argued that without the χ-blade, the Keyblade War might never have been waged; after all, you cannot possess what you cannot find or unlock.
It is clear the blade was the inspiration for human-wrought Keyblades. The letter χ can be pronounced both “key” or “kye” (leading to some confusion) and symbolizes the perfect crossing of light and darkness. The χ-blade can be forged via a high-dimensional clash between those two poles.
It is believed that the Recusant’s Sigil also derives from χ.
—Glossary (KH3D)
In hermetic kabbalah, the skull and crossbones are related to the chi-rho, which symbolizes time, death, and rebirth. It became an important Christian symbol when it was adopted by the Roman Emperor Constantine, representing the first two letters in the name of Christ—chi and rho. The chi-rho is also the origin of the tradition of abbreviating “Christ” in “Christian" or “Christmas” to “X.”
Before it became the monogram of Christ, the chi-rho was the monogram of Chronos (whose name also begins with a chi-rho), the god of time. The small letters in the image are the alpha and omega; the beginning and the end. The chi-rho was also used in hermetic alchemical texts to denote time. It was used as an emblem of several solar deities, as well. Young Xehanort’s ability to time travel is therefore integrally linked to the Recusant’s Sigil, and whoever taught him about it.
Recusant’s Sigil
But why is it called the Mark of Heresy or the Recusant’s Sigil? A recusant is defined as a person who refuses to submit to an authority or comply with a regulation. Which is basically the same thing as a heretic.
The Crook and Flail are the emblems of the Egyptian god Osiris. They were the symbols of divine authority carried by Egyptian Pharaohs in state ceremonies. The Recusant’s Sigil is the symbol of Osiris upside-down.
The “X” is also used in ancient Egypt as a symbol of the dead. You see it in Egyptian pyramids and temples, where Pharaohs are buried with their arms and legs crossed. This is because it was the symbol of Osiris. He was ruler of the dead and the underworld, and this was done in devotion to him.
Was it easy to decide on the design for the three main characters?
Tetsuya Nomura: “No, it was actually pretty difficult. Especially since all three of them would change into armor, when I began to work on their design I had decided that they would hit a round device to change into the armor. But how I could incorporate that device into their clothing was pretty difficult to decide. Also, since one of the secret keywords in the story is “X”, I decided that I had to put that somewhere in the design of their clothes.”
Unlike with Sora, Xehanort didn’t literally put the "X” on their clothes. Nomura used it to symbolize their unfortunate fates, as “X” was the secret keyword for the story. Terra was his destined vessel, Ventus was half of the X-blade, and Vanitas said Aqua was a backup.
What is the meaning of the ‘x’ in the Organization member’s names? Also, was adding the ‘x’ to their original names difficult? Nomura: It was Xemnas’s decision to add the ‘x’. I think the meaning will become clear in Birth by Sleep. Think of the circumstances of the Organization member’s names with an ‘x’ added. We came up with many name candidates the with ‘x’ added in together with the staff, we rack our brains while we consider them.
Xemnas planned to use all the original Organization members as vessels once the artificial Kingdom Hearts was completed. In anticipation of this, he also added the “X” to their names as well. The “X” is the mark of an intended vessel.
異端の印 (Itan no shirushi, lit. “Mark of heresy”) is a symbol designed by Xehanort to represent the rejection of a Nobody from his original persona. It is incorporated into the new names of each of the original members of Organization XIII, and is derived from Xehanort’s sleeping memories of the χ-blade.
—khwiki
But Xehanort needs that person’s original self to die first. That is the ONLY way he can use them as a vessel. All of the Organization members have been marked, to signify the death of their original self.
Xemnas: Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self.
But it’s especially true wth Saix. He was the only successful vessel from the original Organization, besides Braig, who was totally willing. Roxas was a good candidate at first, but he became too self-aware, and thus was no longer usable.
Xemnas: As your flesh bears the sigil, so your name shall be known of that as a recusant.
That’s no doubt how Saix got the scar on his face. To signify the death of Isa, and the creation of a successful vessel. It’s also a mark of submission to Xehanort’s “divine” authority. The whole idea is…pretty dark, actually. But it was also so interesting to me. It was why Lea and Isa became my favorite characters in the first place. There were so many intriguing concepts in their story line and their whole relationship had so much potential. Especially since Isa might have even allowed himself to become a vessel in order to protect Lea.
The Key to Return Hearts
Where did the Organization’s coat and mark come from?
Nomura: Xemnas remembering his human years. One year after BbS, Xehanort as well as the five other apprentices toss aside their hearts. Then the Nobody Xemnas was born, and the Organization which he creates take a lot of things from his memories as a human. But as Xemnas had two people whom he came from, Terra and Master Xehanort, he takes from both of their memories. The coat used by the Organization was something that Master Xehanort originally wore. The Nobody mark used by the Organization is a similar shape to the mark Terra used. Xemnas gives Organization members names with an X in them. This has something to do with Master Xehanort’s interest in the χ-Blade.
So, the shared destiny of Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and Isa was indeed to die—but also to be reborn. The game that introduced all these concepts was called “Birth By Sleep,” after all. Nomura implied that Xemnas based the Nobody emblem on the mark that Terra wore. His words suggested that the meaning of these symbols was important and that we’d eventually get to learn more about their origin.
But, of course, we never did. But we do know that although Xehanort followed the darkness, Master Eraqus was a defender of the light. Well, if “X” is the symbol of death and endings, then what is the symbol of life and rebirth? Is that the true meaning of Eraqus’ symbol?
The press release for KINGDOM HEARTS III unveiled by Square Enix discusses the search for the “Key to Return Hearts.” Is there anything you can tell us about that?
Nomura: There are two possible meanings of the “key.” One of which is the “hardware” key, which opens doors - this is what keys are in general (laughs), and the other is the “light” key, that opens something else. In this case, it is currently unknown as to which type of key Sora must find. This is the main storyline of KINGDOM HEARTS III - Sora must go on an adventure to find the “key” without knowing what or where it is. But as you know, we can’t really say anything else on the subject (laughs).
The ankh is the ancient Egyptian symbol of life, fertility and the union of male and female. It appears frequently in Egyptian writings about rebirth and was also called the Key of Life. Early Christians adopted it to symbolize the resurrection of Christ. I obviously can’t know for sure, but I think it’s possible that Eraqus’ symbol was integrally tied to the whole concept of the “Key to Return Hearts”.
The ankh was used in funeral rites as well. It was sometimes held upside down by the loop, where it resembled the shape of a key. It was considered the key which opened the gate to the the realm of eternity. When someone died, their corpse carried the ankh. At the time their souls were weighed, or when they would board the Boat of the Sun God Ra, it was a sign that they sought this same immortality from the gods. Therefore, the dead were sometimes referred to as “ankhu”, meaning possessor of life. In the dark occult, the ankh is still used as a symbol of evil and death when it is used upside-down. That might be the true origin of the Nobody symbol—an inversion of the symbol of life.
It’s fitting that the Recusant’s Sigil is based Egyptian concepts and imagery. To the ancient Egyptians, the Sun represented light, warmth, and growth. This made the Sun deity, Ra, very important, as he was seen as the ruler of all creation. When Ra was in the underworld, he merged with Osiris, the god of the dead. Osiris is usually distinguished as the god of the afterlife, the underworld, and the dead. But more appropriately he is the god of transition, resurrection, and regeneration. And it’s worth mentioning that ancient Egyptians always used a red Sun to symbolize Ra.
