Mark of the Great Journey

This article is based on canon information, but the article's title is conjectural and/or uses descriptions as the title, as there is currently no official name for the subject.

The mark of the Great Journey.

The mark of the Great Journey is a symbol used by the Covenant. It represents the Great Journey within the Covenant religion, and is used as the unifying symbol for the empire as a whole.^[1] The emblem depicts an eye surrounded by burning flame, seemingly representing enlightenment and the "cleansing flame" of the Halo Array.

Sanctum Clerics of the Sacristan Order have the symbol branded into their foreheads, though it is also displayed on the helmets of most warriors of the order.^[1] It is also displayed on the robes of San'Shyuum High Councilors and Hierarchs.^[2]^[3]

Production notes[edit]

The mark was originally featured in Halo 2, featured on numerous early storyboards depicting several Covenant murals that tell the history of the Covenant. These drawings depict the emblem in a more simple style, with the eye inside a circle surrounded by radiating lines, rather than the fire of the final emblem. While the murals were cut from the final game, the symbol did appear in the end product as an emblem on the robes of the San'Shyuum High Councilors. The councilor robe emblem (which was also featured in some early renders of the Hierarchs) only depicts the eye, sans any other decorative elements. These elements were not kept in the Halo 2: Anniversary rendition of the councilors, but did make their way into the Prophet of Truth's robes in Halo 3.

The symbol was later reintroduced in Halo 5: Guardians, which saw the Halo 2 murals recreated and given visual updates for inclusion in the Nuusra temples on Sanghelios. The emblem was given a slight redesign, replacing the radiant lines of the original with cleansing fire. This version of the symbol was featured in Halo: Campaign Evolved as a brand on the Sacristan Sangheili, where it was confirmed to be the symbol representing the Covenant as a whole.^[1]

Gallery[edit]

An early revision of the symbol in the mural storyboard.
An early revision of the Prophet of Truth's Halo 2 model, with the symbol on his robes.
The Great Journey symbol from the murals can be seen in yellow on the councilor robes.
The symbol on the Prophet of Truth's arm in Halo 3.
The updated mark of the Journey in The Art of Halo 5: Guardians.
The symbol carved into the stone temples of Nuusra in Halo 5: Guardians.
A variant of the symbol with only the eye in Halo 5: Guardians.
A Sacristan Cleric with the symbol branded into his forehead.
A Sanctum Superior with the symbol on his helmet and as a piece of jewelry.