A winged wheel or flying wheel is a symbol used on monuments by the ancient Greeks and Romans and more recently as a

heraldic charge In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an '' escutcheon'' (shield). That may be a geometric design (sometimes called an '' ordinary'') or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object, building, or o ...

. The symbol is mostly formed with one or two wheels and one, two, or three wings—with one wheel and two wings being the most common form. The symbol was historically associated with the ancient Greek god

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

and Roman god Mercury. In heraldry the symbol has been used to represent transport, speed and progress. It is an international symbol for railway transport, and still forms the basis of many railway company logos. Other modern uses are for sport, cycling and motorbikes.

History

According to Eugène Goblet d'Alviella, the winged wheel is distinct from the older winged circle symbol which was commonly used in Mesopotamian and Assyrian symbolism. It was used by the ancient Greeks as a symbol of

, the herald of the Gods. According to Goblet d'Alviella, the winged wheel was rare in

Greco-Roman antiquity Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the interwoven civilizations ...

, and when it does appear it is mainly as an indication of a chariot or to symbolise motion:

Use in heraldry

The winged wheel is used in heraldry, though plain wheels (usually cart wheels) and mill wheels are also used. However, the

Catherine wheel Catherine wheel may refer to: * Breaking wheel, an instrument of torturous execution originally associated with Catherine of Alexandria * Catherine wheel (firework), a firework that rotates when lit Arts and entertainment * Catherine Wheel (band) ...

torture device is the most common wheel symbol used in heraldry. The winged wheel has been shown with one, two or three wings. When included in heraldic arms they are often emblems of engineering or transport; for example in the arms of the

Institution of Municipal Engineers The Institution of Municipal Engineers (IMunE) was a professional association for municipal engineers in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1873, the institution grew following the expansion in municipal engineering roles under the Public Health Act ...

. However other meanings have included representing railroads, steam power, tourism, speed and progress. The device has also been used to represent the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

of the

Abrahamic religions The term Abrahamic religions is used to group together monotheistic religions revering the Biblical figure Abraham, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The religions share doctrinal, historical, and geographic overlap that contrasts them wit ...

. In addition to his associations with movement and swiftness Hermes has medical associations (for example through his

Caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; , ) is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was borne by other heralds like Iris (mythology), Iris, the messenger of Hera. The s ...

staff). This led to the winged wheel's adoption by the US Army's 2nd Surgical Hospital, where it represented the unit's role in evacuating the wounded.

Rail transport

Since the 1950s the winged-wheel logo has been increasing stylized away from the classical form. Traces of the winged-wheel or wings can still be found in abstract form in many railway company logos: File:Logo ÖBB.svg,

Austrian Federal Railways The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...

File:BLS_AG_logo.svg,

BLS AG BLS AG is a Swiss railway company created by the 2006 merger of BLS Lötschbergbahn and Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG. Its ownership is divided, with 55.8% of it owned by the canton of Berne, and 21.7% by the Swiss Confederation. It has two ma ...

(Switzerland) File:Bulgarian National Railways.svg,

Bulgarian State Railways The Bulgarian State Railways (, abbreviated as БДЖ, BDZ or BDŽ) are Bulgaria's state railway company and former largest railway carrier in the country, established as an entity in 1888. The company's headquarters are located in the capital So ...

File:GYSEV logo.svg, Raaberbahn (Austria+Hungary) File:ODEG-Logo Neu.svg, East German Railway (ODEG) File:Logo Hungary MÁV.svg,

Hungarian State Railways The Hungarian State Railways (, , formally MÁV Magyar Államvasutak Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság (MÁV Zrt.). The full official name of the company is MÁV-csoport () now commonly known as MÁV) is the Hungary, Hungarian natio ...

File:Underground.svg,

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

File:ZSR-Logo.svg, Slovak Rail File:Slovenske železnice logo.svg,

Slovenian Railways Slovenian Railways (, SŽ) is the state railway company of Slovenia, created in 1991. Slovenia is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Slovenia is 79. History What is now Slovenia received its firs ...

File:Logo_ŽRS.png,

Railways of Republika Srpska Railways of Republika Srpska (; abbr. or ) is the railway company of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of the two rail companies in the country (the other is the ŽFBH, operating in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina). Th ...

File:SJ (rail operator) logo.svg,

SJ AB SJ is the primary passenger train operator in Sweden. A wholly List of government enterprises of Sweden, state-owned company operated for-profit under market conditions, SJ operates various services across Sweden. SJ's operations include High-spee ...

(Swedish Railways) File:SBB CFF FFS logo.svg,

Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (, SBB; , CFF; , FFS) is the national railway company of Switzerland. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Bern. It used to be a State-owned enterprise, government institution, but since 1999 it has be ...

File:Emblem_of_the_State_Railway_of_Thailand.svg,

State Railway of Thailand The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) (, abbrev. รฟท., ) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport (Thailand), Ministry of Transport in Thailand. History The SRT was founded as the Royal State Rail ...

File:Norges Statsbaner logo.svg, Vy (Norwegian State Railways until 2019) File:Logo DKA, PNKA, dan PJKA 1953-1988.svg, PJKA (Indonesian State Railways 1953–1988) Others logos include

Romanian State Railways Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

(CFR),

Turkish State Railways The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey (), abbreviated as TCDD, is a government-owned national railway company responsible for the ownership and maintenance of railways in Turkey, as well as the planning and construction of new lines. TCDD ...

(combining the winged wheel with a

crescent and star The conjoined representation of a Star (heraldry), star and a crescent is used in various historical contexts, including as a prominent symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and in contemporary times, as a national symbol by some countries, and by some ...

), and

Trainkos Trainkos is a private railway company based in Kosovo that also serves as the national rail carrier of the country. Established in 2011 alongside Infrakos, the two companies are the successors of Kosovo Railways, a public company that was split u ...

(previously Kosovo State railways). Classic forms: File:Korpusówki wojska kolejowe do 1965.jpg, Collar badge of Polish

railway troops Railway troops are soldiers who are also railway engineers. They build, repair, operate or destroy militarily relevant railway lines and their associated infrastructure. History The establishment of railway troops by the great powers followe ...

File:Great emblem of the Russian Railway Troops.svg, Great emblem of the

Russian Railway Troops Railway Troops of the Russian Armed Forces ()См. сведения о постоянных корреспондентах газеты «Красная звезда» в выходных данных на С. 2. каждого еженедель� ...

The winged wheel is used on the collar badge of Polish

, and as the emblem of

. A two-winged wheel was the logo of the

London General Omnibus Company The London General Omnibus Company or LGOC, was the principal bus operator in London between 1855 and 1933. It was also, for a short period between 1909 and 1912, a motor bus manufacturer. Overview The London General Omnibus Company was f ...

. When this company was merged into

Underground Electric Railways Company of London The Underground Electric Railways Company of London, Limited (UERL), known operationally as the Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for the three deep-level "tube"A "tube" railway is an un ...

(UERL) in 1912 the logo was combined with the "disc and bar" of the UERL to form the basis of the modern

roundel.

Sport

A triple-winged wheel was adopted as the logo of the

Cyclists' Touring Club Cycling UK is a trading name of the Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC), which is a charitable membership organisation supporting cyclists and promoting bicycle use. Cycling UK is registered at Companies House as "Cyclists’ Touring Club", and is c ...

(CTC) in 1886, possibly taking inspiration from earlier logos of the

League of American Wheelmen League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

and the Swift Cycling Club. The CTC logo quickly became "cycling’s most famous symbol", featuring on the outside of hotels associated with the CTC (known as "wheel houses") across the United Kingdom. The

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

ice hockey team has used a winged wheel in its logo since 1933, when it adopted its current name. Owner

James E. Norris James E. Norris (December 10, 1879 – December 4, 1952) was a Canadian- American businessman, operating companies in the grain and cattle industries, and owner of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. He also had significant ow ...

drew inspiration for the logo from the

Montreal Amateur Athletic Association Montreal Amateur Athletic Association is Canada's oldest athletic association, located in Montreal, Quebec. It was renamed as the ''Club Sportif MAA'' or just ''MAA'' (Montreal MAA) in 1999 after a brush with bankruptcy, but is still widely known ...

, whose athletes wore a similar design.

Motorbikes

Matchless Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc Four-stroke cy ...

motorbikes and the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...

both use a winged wheel logo.

Geographical locations

A winged wheel symbol has been used in other contexts as various as the

coat of arms of Panama The Panamanian coat of arms is a heraldic symbol for Panama. These arms were adopted provisionally and then definitively by the same laws that adopted the Panamanian flag. The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja''), the Panamanian national bird, is t ...

and of the city of Edmonton in Canada, the

flag of Knoxville, Tennessee The city flag of Knoxville, Tennessee was officially adopted by municipal ordinance on October 16, 1896. It is the third oldest official city flag in the United States and the oldest flag of any state or city governmental entity in Tennessee. S ...

, the badge of the

Ohio State Highway Patrol The Ohio State Highway Patrol is a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety and has the primary responsibility of traffic enforcement in the U.S. state of Ohio. Divisions Operationally, the Patrol is divided into units whose varying task ...

, and the logo of

Rotary Watches Rotary Watches Ltd was established at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Moise Dreyfuss in 1895 and owned by Hong Kong's Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited. By the 1920s family members Georges and Sylvain Dreyfuss began exporting Rotary wa ...

References

{{Reflist Heraldic charges Symbols of Abrahamic religions