The Cipher

Glyphs

Eight symbols and a glowing corner dot formed a 26-letter alphabet featured in the ad breaks, spelling out a word for every episode. The glyphs were also snuck into the episodes themselves, and every one of those sightings is catalogued below.
  • 9 glyphs
  • 26 letters
  • 42 sightings


What Are the Glyphs?

Every episode of Fringe displayed a series of symbols, called glyphs, before each ad break. There were 8 symbols: an apple, a butterfly, a flower, a frog, a hand, a leaf, a seahorse, and smoke. Each glyph was also paired with a little yellow glowing dot in one of its four corners.

Every combination of glyph + dot location corresponded to a letter, meaning the glyphs were a cypher. The glyphs presented over the course of an episode spelled out a word that was related to that episode, the current arc, the current season, or sometimes the show as a whole.

Check out individual episode pages to see what words were spelled out for each episode, starting with season 1 episode 1, ‘Pilot’.

The glyphs were also snuck into episodes as easter eggs for eagle-eyed viewers. Below is the glyph alphabet, and then every glyph easter egg in the series.

The Glyph Alphabet

  • The glyph for the letter A A
  • The glyph for the letter B B
  • The glyph for the letter C C
  • The glyph for the letter D D
  • The glyph for the letter E E
  • The glyph for the letter F F
  • The glyph for the letter G G
  • The glyph for the letter H H
  • The glyph for the letter I I
  • The glyph for the letter J J
  • The glyph for the letter K K
  • The glyph for the letter L L
  • The glyph for the letter M M
  • The glyph for the letter N N
  • The glyph for the letter O O
  • The glyph for the letter P P
  • The glyph for the letter Q Q
  • The glyph for the letter R R
  • The glyph for the letter S S
  • The glyph for the letter T T
  • The glyph for the letter U U
  • The glyph for the letter V V
  • The glyph for the letter W W
  • The glyph for the letter X X
  • The glyph for the letter Y Y
  • The glyph for the letter Z Z

Leaf

4 sightings4 episodes

  • The leaf glyph
    The leaf glyph, as it appears between acts.
  • Leaf 1:20:58
    S1E01 The leaf glyph is on the electronic keypad at Massive Dynamic.
  • Leaf glyph 21:11
    S1E13 The leaf glyph is on the electronic keypad at Massive Dynamic.
  • Leaf 37:59
    S2E04 The leaf glyph can be seen as Olivia and Shapeshifter Charlie fight in the alley.
  • Leaf 37:18
    S4E01 A leaf can be seen on the bio-scan monitor at the Liberty Island security checkpoint.

Butterfly

11 sightings9 episodes

  • The butterfly glyph
    The butterfly glyph, as it appears between acts.
  • Butterfly 41:26
    S1E08 A butterfly can be seen painted on the side of a white trash can.
  • Butterfly 02:40
    S1E09 A butterfly can be seen attacking Mark Young.
  • Butterfly 37:59
    S2E04 The butterfly glyph can be seen as Olivia and Shapeshifter Charlie fight in the alley.
  • Butterfly 17:00
    S2E14 The butterfly glyph can be seen outside the entrance to the daycare center.
  • Butterfly 31:47
    S4E01 The butterfly glyph can be seen near Lincoln in the rail yard.|Butterflies can be seen in Olivia's bedroom.
  • Butterflies 01:13
    S4E01 Butterflies can be seen in Olivia's bedroom.
  • Butterfly 42:44
    S4E07 A butterfly can be seen on a lampshade near the front of Olivia's apartment.|The butterfly glyph can be seen on the wall in the diner where Olivia and Lincoln meet.
  • Butterfly 03:00
    S4E07 The butterfly glyph can be seen on the wall in the diner where Olivia and Lincoln meet.
  • Butterflies 16:25
    S5E01 Butterflies can be seen in Etta's apartment.
  • Butterfly 27:00
    S5E06 The butterfly glyph can be seen on a door in the pocket universe.
  • Butterfly 15:41
    S5E11 Butterflies can be seen on a box in September's apartment.

Apple

3 sightings3 episodes

  • The apple glyph
    The apple glyph, as it appears between acts.
  • Apple 37:59
    S2E04 The apple glyph can be seen as Olivia and Shapeshifter Charlie fight in the alley.
  • Apple 18:38
    S2E13 The apple glyph can be seen on the backrest of a chair in the lab.
  • Apple 27:07
    S5E06 The apple glyph can be seen on a door in the pocket universe.

Flower

5 sightings5 episodes

  • The flower glyph
    The flower glyph, as it appears between acts.
  • Flower 38:01
    S2E04 The flower glyph can be seen as Olivia and Shapeshifter Charlie fight in the alley.
  • Flower 22:05
    S2E14 A flower can be seen outside the entrance to the daycare center.
  • Flower 03:24
    S4E05 The flower glyph can be seen on the wall in Karen Truss's house.
  • Flower 02:54
    S4E07 The flower glyph can be seen on the wall in the diner where Olivia and Lincoln meet.
  • Flower 26:53
    S5E06 The flower glyph can be seen on a door in the pocket universe.

Frog

5 sightings4 episodes

  • The frog glyph
    The frog glyph, as it appears between acts.
  • Frog 38:01
    S2E04 The frog glyph can be seen as Olivia and Shapeshifter Charlie fight in the alley.
  • Frog 22:05
    S2E14 A frog can be seen outside the entrance to the daycare center.
  • Frog 27:01
    S5E06 The frog glyph can be seen on a door in the pocket universe.
  • Frog 25:30
    S5E09 A frog can be seen on the dock when Walter is high.|A frog can be seen in Walter's Monty Python trip.
  • Frog 32:09
    S5E09 A frog can be seen in Walter's Monty Python trip.

Seahorse

9 sightings9 episodes

  • The seahorse glyph
    The seahorse glyph, as it appears between acts.
  • Seahorse 38:01
    S2E04 The seahorse glyph can be seen as Olivia and Shapeshifter Charlie fight in the alley.
  • Seahorse 18:18
    S2E13 A seahorse pattern can be seen in the toxin's molecular structure.
  • Seahorse 22:02
    S2E14 A seahorse can be seen outside the entrance to the daycare center.
  • Seahorse 23:19
    S3E06 The seahorse glyph can be seen on the back of one of Markham's books.
  • Seahorse 05:40
    S3E11 A seahorse can be seen on Peter's luggage.
  • Seahorse 39:53
    S3E15 A seahorse can be seen on the Bishops' refrigerator.
  • Seahorse 42:04
    S5E01 A seahorse can be seen hanging from the taxi when Walter listens to music.
  • Seahorse 26:46
    S5E06 The seahorse glyph can be seen on a door in the pocket universe.
  • Seahorse 32:09
    S5E09 A seahorse can be seen in Walter's Monty Python trip.

Hand

5 sightings5 episodes

  • The hand glyph
    The hand glyph, as it appears between acts.
  • Hand 21:57
    S2E14 A hand can be seen outside the entrance to the daycare center.
  • Hand 34:33
    S2E22 The hand glyph can be seen on the piano stool in the Orpheum Theater in the Redverse.
  • Hand 28:08
    S3E17 A hand can be seen inside a cabinet.
  • Hand 26:57
    S5E06 The hand glyph can be seen on a door in the pocket universe.
  • Hand 31:58
    S5E13 A hand can be seen on the wall when Olivia and Peter attack the Observers and Loyalists.

Smoke

No sightings

  • The smoke glyph
    This glyph has not been spotted in any scenes.

Horn

No sightings

  • The horn glyph
    This glyph has not been spotted in any scenes and is not used in the letter cipher. It was used in some promotional material before Fringe premiered.