Theories & Why They’re Scared Of It

The mysterious Yellowjackets symbol recurs both in the wilderness and back home, and its unknown meaning and power still terrify the survivors 25 years later. Theories about the Yellowjackets symbol meanings and why the girls are so scared of its appearances have abounded since Yellowjackets began, and each possible answer makes the show’s supernatural story all the more intriguing. Yellowjackets’ symbol has appeared numerous times in the series, with its first introduction in the 1996 timeline showing it carved into the tree that held the coach’s dead body and into the attic floor of the cabin where they find the dead hunter.

The symbol has now become an icon for Lottie’s cult in Yellowjackets’ present timeline that connects to the survivors’ time in the wilderness. Although the extent of the symbol’s power in the present is unknown, it seems to recur when a sacrifice is being made, such as in Taissa’s sacrificial shrine in her basement. Since the symbol has an odd connection to the supernatural elements of Yellowjackets team and seemingly their cannibalism in the wild, the meaning of the icon has become a significant subject of audience speculation. Here’s a breakdown of the theories around the Yellowjackets symbol meanings, and why the girls are so scared of it.

The Symbol Was Originally A Hobo Code Hieroglyphic

A Popular Theory Suggests The Yellowjackets Symbol Is A Complex Messaging System

According to Reddit user Winter_Yak_9031, the Yellowjackets symbol meanings could be derived from what is colloquially known as “Hobo Code,” which is a way of transient individuals leaving messages for one another. Since the dead man in the cabin during Yellowjackets season 1 was found with the symbol beneath him, it’s possible that he was the one who made it, perhaps as a warning sign to whoever found the isolated cabin next. Based on the known signs in Hobo Code, the theory states that the symbol includes the following messages: “Nothing here to be gained,” “Man with gun lives here,” “A beating awaits you here,” “Halt,” “Alcohol here,” and “Doubtful.”

Other interpretations of the Yellowjackets symbol based on the Hobo Code include the additional messages of “Dog lives here” and “Get out fast,” both of which would aptly connect to the terrifying experiences of the girls upon their arrival. The dog would most likely translate to the wolves. If the Yellowjackets symbol truly is made up of Hobo Code symbols, the girls would likely be terrified because of the implications of the symbol coming back in the present. Considering the symbol would be a warning of bad omens, finding it in the present would mean trouble on behalf of people from their past for Yellowjackets’ survivors.

The Symbol Depicts Their Cannibalistic Cult Ritual

The Design Might Be An Interpretation Of The Grizzly Practice

Another common theory for the Yellowjackets symbol meanings suggests that it abstractly represents an important icon during the cannibalistic ritual. It’s unclear where or how the girls got the idea for their cannibalism ritual seen in Yellowjackets’ season 1 premiere since their first foray into the taboo act was to eat Jackie posthumously after she was accidentally slow-cooked. It’s assumed and foreshadowed that Lottie began the cannibalistic survivors cult in the 1996 timeline, and then began a new one after her time in the mental facility, repurposing the symbol.

The Yellowjackets symbol meanings can thus be interpreted as depicting someone hung upside on a hook, with the circle being the head, the triangle the body, the lines being the arms, and the hook being the way in which the girl is strung up while being bled out. If the symbol was put there to represent Yellowjackets‘ cannibalism ritual, the girls would likely be afraid of it because it indicates others know of their cannibal past and could expose them.

The Symbol Is A Yellowjacket

The Image Might Have Simpler Origins

In connecting to theories that Yellowajackets’ characters were purposefully meant to crash in the wilderness, it’s been speculated the Yellowjackets symbol meanings represent their mascot, the yellowjacket. This theory suggests that the circle and triangle are the yellowjacket’s body, the outside lines are the wings, and the hook is the stinger. Since the symbol has been at the cabin and in the woods since before Yellowjackets’ plane crashed, there may have been a supernatural pull (the mysterious wilderness entity) bringing the team to that specific area, knowing that they would continue the cannibalistic rituals or sacrifices that the cursed woods require.

As such, Yellowjackets’ characters would be scared of the symbol because of its associations with bad omens and their perceived destiny that’s trying to draw them back to the wilderness, a place the survivors like Shauna, Natalie, and Taissa wouldn’t dare return. During season 2, the Yellowjackets symbol meanings is becoming a hot topic of debate. After Lottie puts the symbol on Shauna’s baby blanket, Natalie criticizes her choice, stating that the symbol seems like a bad omen. Nothing good has happened around the symbol so far, suggesting she may be right.

Yellowjackets’ Symbol Is Secretly A Mathematic Map

It May Hold The Key To Escaping The Wilderness

One of the most common theories regarding the Yellowjackets symbol meanings goes back to a comment made by one of the teachers in Yellowjackets’ premiere episode. The teacher remarks that none of the girls cared about trigonometry, with this specific branch of mathematics being brought up in subsequent episodes. Since none of the girls were apparently good at trigonometry, it’s assumed that they didn’t derive the meaning of the Yellowjackets symbol until far too late, but once they did, it helped them escape the wilderness.

The popular theory suggests that the Yellowjackets symbol meaning is a mathematic equation that, if solved correctly, can not only tell the girls where they are in reference to the rest of civilization, but also help them escape. In this way, the symbol was never necessarily intended for the girls, but for whoever became stuck in this area of the wilderness again. This could become more clear as Travis and Natalie continue mapping the wilderness with Coach Ben. As is commonly assumed, the symbol would simply scare the Yellowjackets survivors because it’s a reminder of their horrific past and the notion that others could expose them for what they did.

The Symbol Is Used To Protect The Girls Against The Bad Spirits

Could The Symbol Be A Ward Against Supernatural Forces?

A theory by Reddit user Charlestonchops suggests that the Yellowjackets symbol meanings are a charm that is used to protect an area or person from bad spirits that may have cursed it. The theory comes from the notion that Yellowjackets co-creator Ashley Lyle recommended the book The Hunger, which is based on the cannibalistic true story of the Donner Party. The novel features a section in which the characters find a mysterious symbol carved into a tree that used shapes and slashes, seemingly to tell a story. The characters then realize that the symbol is a charm against bad spirits, including “the hungry ones,” which refers to cannibals.

As such, the symbol may be used as a way to protect the girls from the seemingly supernatural spirits in the wilderness, as this is antler queen Lottie’s self-proclaimed Yellowjackets symbol meanings belief. Since Taissa is seen to make sacrifices with a shrine that includes the symbol, perhaps she does so as a way to protect herself from the spirits back home. When Travis put the symbol under his body, it’s possible he was trying to use it to protect himself from death. The same goes for the giant symbol that Van and Taissa map out, that it could be protecting the area from bad spirits.

The Symbol Is Connected To Death

The Design Might Have An Incredibly Dark Meaning

The final theory surrounding the Yellowjackets symbol meanings is that it is somehow connected to death. The nature of Travis’ death is revealed in Yellowjackets season 2, episode 2, and he says that the “only way to know what the wilderness wants is to get as close to death as possible,” choosing to map out the symbol beneath him in candles. Upon watching Yellowjackets, it becomes obvious that the symbol pops up every time someone dies or is about to die. The first time the Yellowjackets symbol is seen is on the tree that is holding the body of the deceased Coach Martinez.

The next time it’s seen is in the cabin, next to the corpse of the hunter that Jackie sees in her dying visions. It appears again near the plane that explodes while Laura Lee is flying it, and once again, by the side of the mountain that Taissa nearly walks off of while sleepwalking. It’s also worth noting, that when Lottie presents Shauna with a baby blanket with the Yellowjackets symbol only moments later, a flock of birds falls to their death outside the cabin, and Shauna’s baby ends up being stillborn. If the Yellowjackets symbol means death, then it’s obvious why the girls would be afraid of it.

Season 2 Has Revealed More About The Symbol

Yellowjackets Is Slowly But Surely Unpacking The Mystery

While the Yellowjackets symbol meanings still haven’t been explained, season 2 has aimed to enlighten audiences to more about it, while also giving weight to several theories. First, Taissa clearly shares a deep connection with the Yellowjackets symbols. It’s revealed that Taissa has been sleepwalking to the symbols at night, which prompts her and Van to map them all out, discovering that they form one giant symbol. In addition, Lottie’s cult compound where all the survivors meet up in season 2, episode 6, is in the shape of a giant Yellowjackets symbol, suggesting that’s where sleepwalking Taissa may have been leading adult Van in the present timeline.

Yellowjackets
season 3 was confirmed in December 2022 and is currently in development.

It’s Taissa and Van’s symbol excursion that leads them to find Javi, which could add further weight to the theory that the symbol is a map depicting underground mining tunnels where he could’ve been hiding for two months (also tying into other Yellowjackets heories like that of mercury poisoning). Taissa also draws the symbol on Simone’s hand in the hospital, suggesting either its connection to death or protection. The same goes for Shauna’s baby blanket and Lottie drawing the symbol on a foggy window as part of a protection ritual. The Yellowjackets symbol meanings are a highly contested component of the show, but more will be revealed as time goes on.

How Many Times Has The Symbol Popped Up?

The Yellowjackets Symbol Is A Consistent Feature Of The Show

There are many recurring visual themes throughout Yellowjackets, and multiple parts of the deep intriguing mystery that repeatedly crop up throughout its two seasons. However, few are featured as prominently as the Yellowjackets symbol. It’s not known exactly how many times the Yellowjackets symbol appears, but it’s featured in more-or-less every episode, at least in passing. It also pre-dates the crash of Flight 2525, as the team members of WHS Yellowjackets find the symbol already carved into a tree in the woods and on the floor of the cabin they find there. While the symbol eventually becomes adopted by the group, it’s also clearly existed since before they first discovered it.

In terms of significant appearances, the symbol is prevalent in both the 1996 segments and the present-day timeline in Yellowjackets. This is a key reason it’s such a compelling part of the mystery. Had it simply been a design the survivors of Flight 2525 had created themselves, it could simply be explained as yet another aspect of the cult-like behavior that started in the wilderness in 1990. However, since it was already present, it clearly feeds into whatever supernatural goings-on are underpinning the wider mystery of the show.

In the present day timeline, the symbol has become an almost sacred image for Lottie’s community. It’s also repeatedly seen by Taissa, especially during her visits from the No Eyed Man when she’s sleepwalking. While Lottie seems to have adopted the symbol, Taissa is unwillingly connected to it, which only deepens the mystery of what it actually means. It’s inevitable that the symbol will appear more and more frequently as the show moves into Yellowjackets season 3 and beyond, and many viewers are beyond eager to find out what it represents once and for all.