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I was looking through an atlas of medieval maps recently and wondered
if anyone here could tell me the significance or origins of the
symbology shown in the compass rose on these?
 
In particular, why is the fleur de lys used as the north point of the
compass on so many of these?
 
And what is the object on the east point supposed to be? (I assume it
refers to the direction in which Eden and Paradise were supposed to be,
but what is the symbol? The maps I have to look at are copied and
reduced from the originals, so the graphic quality suffered a lot and I
can't recognize what this object is, if anything other than a blobby
nub on the east edge of the rose.
 
Finally, why are there 32 points to the compass, and why is it called a
"rose"? I have read that the compass rose appeared after the "wind"
rose (did the wind roase have as many points?), but that about marks the
horizon of my ignorance (beyond which, as far as I know, there might be
dragonnes... ;-)
 
I'll summarize responses here in about a week or so if anyone has any
answers or generally interesting bits of ancient map lore to share.
 
_   /|   Bill Thoen <[log in to unmask]>
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