Symbol8

Symbolisum
Lesson Eight

Lamb - Innocence (specially on a child's grave), Resurrection.
Laurel Leaves - Triumph.
Lily - Purity, sometimes chastity.
Lily of the Valley - Rebirth, Virgin Mary.
Lion - Courage, bravery, strength.
Lotus - Purity, resurrection, perfect beauty, spiritual revelation.
Masonic Compass and Set Square - Freemasons, uprightness, judgment.
Memento mori - Symbol of death and reminder of mortality.
Menorah - Divine wisdom.
Mistletoe - Immortality.
Moon - Death, rebirth, victory, sorrow of the crucifixion.
Mother and Child - Charity, love.
Myrtle - Undying love, peace.
Naked Figure - Truth, purity, innocence.
Oak - Strength of faith and virtue, endurance.
Obelisk - Rebirth, connection between earth and heaven.
Olive Branch - Peace, forgiveness, humanity.
Open Gates - Afterlife, the soul entering heaven.
Orb - Faith.
Owl - Wisdom, solitude, a warning of impending death.

We continue out discussion of grave markers and their meanings. I find this fascinating and hope you do too!

Pall - Mortality, mourning.
Pansy - Remembrance, meditation.
Pick - Death, mortality.
Poppies - Eternal sleep.
Pyramid - Resurrection, eternal life, enlightenment, spiritual attainment.
Rainbow - Union, fulfillment of the promise of resurrection.
Ripened Fruit - Nourishment of the soul.
Rod or Staff - Comfort to the bereaved.
Rooster - Awakening, resurrection, courage, vigilance.
Rope - Circle Eternity.
Rose - Victory, pride, triumphant love, purity.
Scallop Shell - Birth, baptism, resurrection, life everlasting, pilgrimage of life.
Scarab - Resurrection, transcendence.
Scepter - Fortitude.
Scythe - Death, cutting life short, the final harvest.
Severed Branch - Mortality.
Shamrock - Irish descent, Holy Trinity.
Shattered Urn - Old age.
Sheaf of Wheat - Old age, fruitful life.
Shepherd's Crook - Charity.
Skeleton Death - life's brevity.

Skull & Crossed Bones - Death, crucifixion.
Skull - Transitory nature of earthly life, penitence, mortality.
Sleeping Cherub - Innocence (usually on child's grave).
Smoke - Vanity, futility of seeking earthly glory.
Snail - Laziness, sin.
Snake - Encircled Everlasting life in heaven. (Also called oroboros)
Spade - Mortality, Death.
Spider Web - Human frailty.
Star - Divine guidance.
Star of David - Unity, transformation.
Steps - 3 Tiered Faith, Hope and Charity.
Sun Disc - Winged Spirituality, everlasting life.
Sun Rising - Renewed life, resurrection.
Sun Setting - Death.
Sun Shining - Everlasting life.
Swallow - Motherhood, spirit of children, consolation.
Sword, Broken - Life cut short.
Sword, Inverted - Relinquishment of power, victory.
Sword, Sheathed - Temperance.
Sword - Military.
Swords, Crossed - Life lost in battle.

I do hope you look at each on, as they are interesting. The Sun can take on many different meanings depending on how it is depicted, so does a sword. The different flowers and their meaning is also important! See below:

Tablets of the Decalogue Containing the text from Exodus and Deuteronomy given to Moses on Mount Sinai as a symbol of the Old Covenant.
Tetragrammaton Four Hebrew letters Y, H, W, H spelling the true name of God, reminder of God's omnipresence.
Thistle Scottish descent, earthly sorrow, defiance.
Torch, Inverted Life extinguished.
Torch Immortality, purification, truth, wisdom.
Tree Life, knowledge, the fall of man through sin, human fruition or frailty.
Tree Sprouting Life everlasting.
Tree Stump Life interrupted.
Tree Trunk Brevity of life, number of broken branches can indicate deceased family members buried at that site.
Tree Trunk, Leaning Short interrupted life, mourning.
Triangle Holy Trinity.
Triqueta (3 interlocking circles or triangles) Eternity, Trinity, popular motif on Celtic crosses.
Trumpet Announcement of the resurrection or the soul's entrance into heaven.

Urn Immortality, penitence, death of the body and its return to dust in the final resting-place.
Violet Humility.
Weeping Willow Mourning, grief, lamentation, sorrow.
Wheat Body of Christ.
Wheel Cycle of life, enlightenment, spiritual power.
Winged Face Effigy of the deceased soul, the soul in flight.
Winged Hourglass Fleetness of life, mortality.
Winged Skull Flight of the soul from mortal man.
Wreath Victory.
Wreath, of Roses Heavenly joy and bliss.
Wreath on Skull Victory of death over life.
Yin Yang Circle Harmony, balance, birth and death

The cemetaries are so full of symbolisum! No, not those new flat modern boring ones, now used to ease lawn maintainence, go to the older sections!
You may have to search and travel to see the most beautiful symboic grame markers, I have traveled all over this country and graveyards are always one of my stops! I found a cemetary in Coleman, California, south of San Fransico. They have many there, if you are going that way, STOP IN! Grave markers were craved or engraved to tell a story, leave a message, or create a picture of the departed...now you can understand part of the story!

Quiz: Write a short paragraph on any interesting markers you have seen, or know of...and a second one on what you want on your marker after learning the meanings of these symbols!