Stamp Seals

Collection of research sources done for the emperor seal designs.

Consideration has been taken when choosing symbols and inscriptions, decisions based on the oldest time period within the 11th-15th centuries, iconic symbols of a country, and/or vagueness to fit fantasy settings.

The circle shape was used to reflect the importance of pearls in the lung dragon lore, therefore most symbols and seals used by the emperors are circular.

---

Seals	Description
	Inner symbol is the kanji 木 (ki) in Japanese, symbolizing the element of wood from the Wufang Shangdi chart of the 4 Sea Emperors. Text on the perimeter of the seal are derived from Privy Seal of Japan with the inscription 天皇御璽 ("The Emperor's Imperial Seal").
	Inner symbol is the hangul 불 (bul) in Korean, symbolizing the element of fire from the Wufang Shangdi chart of the 4 Sea Emperors. Text on the perimeter of the seal are derived from Daegunjobu Seal with the inscription 대군주보 ("Great monarch of the Joseon Dynasty"). While it is better to not mention a real dynasty, this one was chosen due to it predating the National Seal of South Korea for historic purposes.
	Inner symbol is the kanji 鉄 (sắt) in Chữ Nôm, the ancient script of Vietnam. The kanji symbolizes the element of metal/iron from the Wufang Shangdi chart of the 4 Sea Emperors. Text on the perimeter of the seal are derived from Seal of Nguyễn Dynasty with the inscription 大南受天永命傳國璽 ("The Great South has the eternal Mandate of Heaven, jade seal for the transmission of the legacy of the Empire"). It is chosen due to the vague mention of territory in the motto.
	Inner symbol is the word ᠤᠰᠤᠨ (usun) in Traditional Mongolian, the ancient script of Mongolia. The word symbolizes the element of water from the Wufang Shangdi chart of the 4 Sea Emperors. Text on the perimeter of the seal are derived from Seal of Güyük Khan for Imperial Mongolia with the inscription (rough) ᠮᠥᠩᠬᠡ ᠲᠩᠷᠢ ᠶᠢᠨ ᠬᠦᠴᠦᠨ ᠳᠣᠣᠷ᠎ᠠ ᠶᠡᠬᠡ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠯᠤᠰ ᠤᠨ ᠳᠠᠯᠠᠢ ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠵᠠᠷᠯᠢᠭ ᠢᠯᠡ ᠪᠣᠯᠭᠠ ᠢᠷᠭᠡᠨ ᠳᠣᠣᠷ᠎ᠠ ᠬᠦᠷᠪᠦ ᠡᠴᠡ ᠪᠢᠰᠢᠷᠡᠲᠦᠭᠡᠢ᠂ ᠠᠶᠤᠲᠤᠭᠠᠢ / Мөнх Тэнгэрийн хүчин дор Их Монгол Улсын Далай хаан зарлиг ил болга иргэн дор хүрвээс биширтүгэй, аюутугай / Möngke ṭngri-yin küčündür. Yeke Mongγol ulus-un dalai-in qanu ǰrlγ. Il bulγa irgen-dür kürbesü, büsiretügüi azatuγai. ("Under the Power of the Eternal Heaven, if the Decree of the Oceanic Khan of the Great Mongol Nation reaches people both subject or belligerent, let them revere, let them fear"). It is chosen due to the vague mention of territory in the motto. During the drawing of this inscription, both the official seal style and the modern type style were referenced for legibility.
	Inner symbol is the word بولن (bulan) in Jawi, the script of Malaysia. The word symbolizes the symbol of the moon in Islamic origins. The use of the crescent moon is used due to historic ties with Muslim empires and the Regalia of Malaysia, though it is recognized the symbol is not in popular use in modern iterations of Islamic practices. Around the word, instead of spokes of light the use of octopus limbs are used to reflect the fantasy group.
	Inner symbol is the word بينتڠ (bintang) in Jawi, the script of Malaysia. The word means star, and the imagery of stars and plants around the snake indicate the union of water and land for this fantasy group.
	Inner symbol is the Tamil word புவி (puvi) in Grantha (depicted below), the script of South India and the Tamil people during the Chola Dynasty. The word symbolizes earth from the Wufang Shangdi chart of the 4 Sea Emperors. There is no online resource that directly translates Tamil to Grantha. This translation is not accurate, but is used to reflect history. In order to have obtained this word, the word "earth" was taken from the Tamil hymn "அருளுரு நிலை" (secondary source on line 43) for accuracy. The translation of "earth" in Devangari was extracted. Using the online script converter Granthavarman, Devangari was translated into Grantha, thus yielding the word above. The Chola Dynasty was chosen due to its history of being a naval superpower and having established connections with Southeast Asia. It also falls in the 11th century. The upper ring is taken from the most famous Chola sculpture, Shiva as Lord of Dance, symbolizing the sun. The bold style of script reflects the carving style of the Rajendra Chola I's royal seal and currency coins.
	This is the seal of the emperor that predates the current one in the story. Inner symbol is the kanji 金 (jin) in Chinese, symbolizing gold from the Wufang Shangdi chart of the 4 Sea Emperors. Geometric designs reflect the chinese stylized characters used for blessings.
	Inner symbol is the word अरविन्द (aravinda) in Devanagari (also Sanskrit), one of the major scripts of India. The word means lotus, and Hinduism and Buddhism utalize the symbol of the lotus flower for many of their practices. The symbolism of the lotus flower here expressions the union of land (a land flower) and water (the lily of words it sits on).
	Unique design made for the TSKM world of claws being raked together. Symbolizes claws or even the wings of winged dragons of draconic or western origin.