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The official Solana account recently referenced two historical symbolisms from the XRP community, leading to reactions from community members.
While the Solana and XRP communities have long viewed each other as rivals, both sides have largely avoided direct acknowledgments. This changed when the official Solana account, in a series of posts on X, made an unexpected nod to XRP community symbolism.
Solana References XRP Castle Illustration
The account shared a castle illustration originally created and circulated in 2018 by XRP community figure Bearableguy123. The original artwork showed three castles: two at the same height representing BTC and USD, and a taller one representing XRP rising above them.
Bearableguy intentionally left the imagery open to interpretation. Notably, one XRP community member said the illustration indicated the pundit’s personal view of a coming “new order,” and suggested that the three towers were its primary message.
Possible Interpretation
According to this interpretation, the towers share the same structure to show that Bitcoin, XRP, and the U.S. dollar all function as stores of value at their foundation.
However, he noted that the suited arm in the dollar tower signified government and banking control, while the empty windows in the Bitcoin and XRP towers suggested independence from those institutions.
The commenter also suggested that the phoenix on the Bitcoin tower symbolized its boom-and-bust cycle, and the ouroboros on the dollar tower referenced the recurring rise and fall of financial empires shaped by banks and governments.
In contrast, he pointed out that XRP’s tower carried no Greek symbol and featured a larger, sturdier flag. According to him, this indicated a move away from the traditional banking model toward something stronger and more stable.
Interestingly, Solana’s version of the image replaced XRP with Solana as the tallest tower and moved XRP to the position associated with USD, symbolizing a system under corporate control. “Time to flip the switch,” Solana said, also referencing comments within the XRP community. These changes did not sit well with community figures.
Solana References the “XRP to 589” Symbol
The recent castle imagery came after an initial nod to another XRP community symbolism. Notably, the first reference came up when Solana’s official account posted a simple “589.”
Within the XRP community, this number carries a long history connected to Bearableguy, who gained popularity in 2018. He built a large following by sharing mysterious illustrations and riddles across social media and online forums. Many of his posts pointed toward the idea that XRP could one day reach a price of $589.
Interestingly, his puzzles often included details that felt unusually informed, leading to some community members suggesting that Ripple’s CTO, David Schwartz, might actually run the account. They believed the hints aligned too closely with XRPL updates and development timelines to be random.
Meanwhile, the “589” idea took on a life of its own after a fake Simpsons screenshot started circulating online. The image showed Bart writing “XRP to hit $589+ by EOY” on a chalkboard. Despite reports confirming the screenshot was fabricated, the meme spread and helped turn “589” into a lasting inside joke and symbol within the XRP community.
As a result, Solana’s nod drew reactions from several XRP community figures. For instance, Vet, an XRPL dUNL validator, replied to the post and humorously described the remark as “cultural appropriation,” implying that Solana had borrowed a symbol that belongs to the XRP community.
Cultural appropriation
— Vet (@Vet_X0) December 8, 2025
Notably, Solana’s posts come on the heels of the forthcoming Solana Breakpoint conference scheduled for Dec. 11 to 13 in Abu Dhabi. With the XRP community regarded as one of the most active in the crypto space, these hints may merely represent an effort from the Solana account to take advantage of the publicity that comes with XRP references.