Borjgali ( ka, ბორჯღალი; also Borjgala or Borjgalo; Borçgali in Laz) is a Georgian symbol of the

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

and

eternity Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...

. The Borjgali is often represented with seven rotating wings over the

tree of life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythology, mythological, religion, religious, and philosophy, philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The ...

which can be used to create various shapes and variations and is considered one of the main symbols of Georgian culture.

Etymology

The term ''Borjgali'' translates to "the flow of time" from

Megrelian The Mingrelian or Megrelian language ( ) is a Kartvelian language spoken in Western Georgia (regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia), primarily by the Mingrelians. Mingrelian has historically been only a regional language within the boundaries of his ...

''borj'' "time" and ''gal'' "pass" or "flow". The word is believed to derive from the Megrelian term ბარჩხალი (''barchkhali''), which means "brilliance" or "glitter." Other scholars believe its origin is from

Old Georgian Old Georgian (ႤႬႠჂ ႵႠႰႧႭჃႪႨ, ''enay kartuli'') is a literary language of the Georgian monarchies attested from the 5th century. The language remains in use as the liturgical language of the Georgian Orthodox Church and for ...

ბურჯი (''burji'') "time" and "ღალ" (''ghal'') "holy fruit" or "harvest," together meaning "holy fruit sprouting from time."

Usage

This pre-Christian symbol was widely used in both western (

Colchis In classical antiquity and Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia. Its population, the ...

) and eastern Georgia (in Georgian architecture's ''Dedabodzi'', "mother-pillar") as part of a Darbazi in the

Kura–Araxes culture The Kura–Araxes culture (also named ''Kur–Araz culture, Mtkvari–Araxes culture, Early Transcaucasian culture, Shengavitian culture'') was an archaeological culture that existed from about 4000 BC until about 2000 BC, which has traditionally ...

as a holy symbol. During the medieval period, this symbol was incorporated as a part of Christian symbolism. Nowadays, the symbol is used in Georgian IDs and passports, as well as on

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

and by the

Georgian Rugby Union The Georgian Rugby Union (GRU) ( ka, საქართველოს რაგბის კავშირი) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the nation of Georgia. History Founded in 1964, it was part of the Rugby Uni ...

. Georgian rugby team players are called ბორჯღალოსნები (''borjgalosnebi''), which means "Men bearing Borjgali". It was also used on the naval ensign of Georgia during the late 1990s and early 2000s.Previous edition: ie90br/> Format: A4 (tall) (279×210 mm)

Gallery

File:Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia 101.jpg,

Colchian In classical antiquity and Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia. Its population, the ...

representation of the Borjgali File:Borjgali and Star of David in Oshki.jpg, Borjgali on the Cathedral of

Oshki Oshki ( ka, ოშკი ; or ) is a Georgian Eastern Orthodox monastery from the second half of the 10th century located in the historic province of Tao, now part of the territory of Turkey. The main church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, ...

File:1-50 Tetri back.png, Borjgali on a Georgian coin File:Ge-money-lari-100.jpg, Borjgali on 100 Georgian lari File:Tedo Zibzibadze 2011.jpg, Georgian rugby player with Borjgali on his shorts and shirt File:Airzena Boeing 737-500 Pichugin.jpg, Borjgali on

Georgian Airways Georgian Airways ( ka, ჯორჯიან ეარვეისი, tr), formerly Airzena, is the privately owned flag carrier of Georgia, with its headquarters in Tbilisi. Its main base is Tbilisi International Airport.Flight Internationa ...

File:სამშობლო.jpg, Borjgali in

Fereydunshahr Fereydunshahr () is a city in the Central District of Fereydunshahr County, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is about 150 km west of the city of Isfahan in the western part of the provinc ...

File:Naval ensign of Georgia (1997–2004).svg, Borgali on the former Georgian naval ensign, used during the late 1990s and early 2000s

Etymology

Usage

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading