The Mandalorian season 3 has spent a great deal of time focusing on a Mandalorian symbol - but what is this skull, and what does it signify?
This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 2.Sigils and insignias play an important role in Mandalorian society, but The Mandalorian season 3 has placed one in particular prominence. When Lucasfilm launched The Mandalorian, it was advertised as the tale of a lone gunslinger - a Mandalorian who stood alone, working as a bounty hunter, living in the legacy of Boba Fett. That turned out to be the initial status quo, however, with the story instead expanding to focus on the found family dynamic between Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and Grogu. The scale continues to broaden, with The Mandalorian season 3 exploring Mandalorian culture and history. Din Djarin increasingly seems to be a sort of Mandalorian "Chosen One," a deliverer destined to restore his people's fortunes.
The history of Mandalore is maintained by the Mandalorian Armorer. According to Lucasfilm's Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, the Armorer has a sacred duty to ensure the traditions of Mandalore are maintained. She is the latest in a long line of Armorers, singing the songs of Mandalore, passing on her teaching to the next generation. Where other Mandalorians wear clan sigils and insignias, she is associated with a particularly important one, displaying it in her Forge.
The Mandalorian Symbol Is A Mythosaur Skull
Other Mandalorian insignias are associated with individual clans, but the skull displayed in the Armorer's Forge is the symbol of Mandalore itself; the Mythosaur skull. According to legend, the Mythosaurs were the apex predators on Mandalore; the warring tribes of Mandalore were united when Mandalore the Great successfully tamed a Mythosaur, riding it. But this skull isn't just a historic one, a reminder of Mandalore's past; it is also the symbol of an eschatological hope. The Mandalorian version of the Chosen One is tied to the return of the Mythosaur, with the slumbering creatures returning to the planet's surface. Even the Armorer doesn't seem sure whether to believe this legend, for she considers the Mythosaurs to be purely mythical.
The Mandalorian season 3, episode 2 revealed she is wrong to believe this. Din Djarin and Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze plunge deep into the Living Waters of Mandalore, and discover Mythosaurs still exist far beneath the planet's surface. The time of prophecy is clearly at hand.
Why Not All Mandalorians Use The Mythosaur Skull Symbol
It's actually quite rare to see Mandalorians display the Mythosaur skull, as it signifies they are bound to Mandalore itself; it's likely it is only preferred by the Armorer or would-be rulers of all Mandalore. Others wear signets and sigils tied to the history of their individual clans. As a Foundling, Din Djarin was not part of a Mandalorian clan, and thus he did not possess an insignia; he had a mudhorn signet forced in The Mandalorian season 1, representing the moment he and Grogu were bound together - when Grogu used the Force to save his life. But if he does ultimately aim to unite his scattered people, he may well have to embrace the Mythosaur skull in its place as The Mandalorian season 3 continues.
Episodes of The Mandalorian release Wednesdays on Disney+.
Related Topics About The AuthorTom Bacon is Head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage. Although he's now dedicated to Star Wars content, he's a lifelong fan of several other major franchises including Doctor Who and Marvel. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon. A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he's into British politics too.
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