Cultural icons refer to a larger cultural context, be it a nation, highbrow culture, or subculture. They provide a symbol of identification and are the distinguishing mark for (fan) communities. Even if this purpose is more secular today, those who use it as an expression of their self-image and/or group affiliation treat icons in a quasi-religious way. The aim of the conference is to explore the impact of the visual, verbal, acoustic, or conceptual representations of literature, art, and sciences by looking at 1. the (re-)productive and intermedia emergence, 2. the popular outreach of canonical knowledge and 3. the diverse processes of identification and appropriation. The interdisciplinary approach brings together intercultural case studies from theology, musicology, history, fine arts, linguistics, archeology as well as film, literary, media, and cultural studies.