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Posted by: CNC MadDogg
I didn't really know where it was appropriate to post this, so I'll just file it under Septagon since it has to do with sevens.
Why are we so obsessed with this number? The number seven has many connections to human society, and may be a sub-conscious force steering our interpretations of the world around us. But why is it that this number has such significance to Bungie in specific. I looked up every relevant detail I could find about the number seven, in the hopes it would show me why they chose THIS number.
What I came across was of a far greater significance than I was prepared to handle. But to begin with, lets look at the source info:
SEVENS IN MATH
-When asked to pick a number between 1 and 10, Seven is the most common answer
-When rolling a pair of six sided dice, Seven is the most common result
-There are seven notes in a Western musical scale
-There are seven primary colors
SE7ENS IN RELIGION
-There are Seven days in a week, and the Seventh day was sanctified as a day of rest
-In Judaism the Torah is divided into Seven aliyahs, read during Shabbat by Seven people
-Jewish newlyweds feast for Seven days after their wedding
-God promised the Israelites they would displace Seven nations when entering Israel
-In Christianity there are Seven deadly sins, and Seven virtues
-The virgin Mary has Seven sorrows and Seven joys
-The Roman Catholic faith has Seven sacraments
-In Christianity Seven represents the union of man (3) and woman (4)
-There are Seven miracles (ayat) in the first chapter of the Qur'an
-In Islam there are Seven heavens and Seven earths
-Buddha took Seven steps at birth
-Atlantis was said to have Seven main islands
SE7ENS IN SOCIETY
-Movies: Seven Samurai, Magnificent Seven, Seven year Itch, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Seventh Seal, and of course Se7en
-Sports: Seven game series, seven players in Handball and Ultimate Frisbee
-Geography: Seven Continents, Seven seas, Seven Wonders of the World
-Astronomy: Seven visible planets, Seven stars in the Big Dipper, Seven saints per constellation according to Indian Astrology
SE7ENS IN GENERAL
-There are Seven openings in the human head
-There are Seven basic principles of Bushido
-There are Seven chakras
-There are Seven colors in a rainbow
-Seven is the largest number of sticks (cylinders) that you can bundle into a static shape
But my personal favorite is George Miller's essay, "The Magical Number Seven". In it he uses the scientific method to uncover the secrets of how the human mind really works. It's fairly complicated but it basically says that humans can store seven pieces of information in their conscious brain at any given time. This means when we are forced to think all at once about complicated subjects, we have to categorize or otherwise group the information until we've reduced the "clusters" to a number under Seven.
Bungie's use of Seven is prolific. Guilty Spark 343 (7x7x7=343), Penitent Tangent 2401 (7x7x7x7=2401 or 2+4+0+1=7), Seven Halo's (six now thank to MC), Seven step plan to World Domination, Marathon was carved from the moon Deimos (discovered in 1877, photographed in 1977). There are more, but these are the most obvious and widely accepted instances.
Perhaps Bungie chose Seven for no reason other than it's history as a sacred or lucky number. Maybe, like an inside joke, there is some special significance which we would all be pretty disappointed if we discovered. But I propose, that despite what they may believe, they chose seven for the same reason everyone else in history seems to have. It's an interesting number, with many natural and man-made relevancies. It even has religious and metaphysical significance. It's both Human, and other worldly, much like my favorite game, Halo.
1492, Christopher Columbus's first voyage, 1+4+9+2=16 1+6=7
Sir Isaac Newton first attended college in 1661 (1+6+6+1= 14=7x2)
A common ladybug has 7 spots.
Vermont became its own country in 1777
etc.
Seeing how there is a near infinite number of possible events, calculations, dates, etc. that relate to 7, coincidence in inevitable. It always is. However, 7 is not an ordinary number.