Anatolian Hieroglyph A021

It is the Luwian hero sign, conventionally glossed HEROS.

A logogram is a sign that stands for a whole word. HEROS is the modern catalog gloss for “hero,” not evidence that Luwian writers spelled the word in Latin letters.

The wider Anatolian hieroglyphic script developed from pictorial signs in Anatolia. It is fully attested in the period 1350–1200 BCE on seals and royal stone monuments, and it was used to write Luwian in Anatolia and Syria.

What was 𔐕 used for?

In inscriptions and seals, it marks a formal title or role.

At Yalburt, a stone inscription presents a ruler with HEROS beside the sign for “Great King”; its commentary treats “Hero” as a title or profession, not a status reserved for kings.

The wider script faded after 700 BCE as Assyrian conquest and alphabetic scripts displaced it.

Is 𔐕 a compliment?

No; its historical reading does not guarantee praise.

If someone sends it alone, treat it as a reference to the ancient script unless surrounding words explain their intent. The sign’s inscriptional meaning is clear; a sender’s personal meaning still depends on context.