Why does the symbol of eternity look like a figure of 8?

Answer 1

The symbol for eternity is derived from the pattern of the sun in the sky. If you plant a stick in the ground, and mark the location of the tip of the shadow cast by the stick every day at exactly noon (or exactly any other time during the day) and you record all of these locations for a year (which is admittedly a lot of trouble to go to, but someone has already done it for you) you will wind up with that shape, which resembles the number 8. Since the sun is pretty much the most eternal thing that we know, we use it as a symbol of eternity. As for the number 8, that is actually not connected to this symbol. The resemblance is entirely coincidental.