The prompt for Week 38 is 'Symbol' which links to last week's theme of 'Tombstone' and has me thinking more about my collection of family headstone photographs and especially the symbolism included in the various monuments. While the majority of the examples in my collection are fairly plain, there are still many symbols included.
The following are some of the more common symbols found on gravestones and their meanings.
ANCHOR - a symbol of hope, or the deceased was a seaman.
ANGEL - a guide to Heaven.
ARCH - symbolizing a triumphant entry into Heaven or victory over death.
ARROW - symbolizing mortality or martyrdom.
BEEHIVE - symbol of abundance in the Promised Land or piety or domestic virtue or faith.
BELL - a symbol of religious faith or religion.
BIRD - a symbol of eternal life, spirituality, Messenger of God, or peace.
BOOK - a symbol of the Divine Word or the deceased's lifetime accomplishments.
BURNING FLAME - a symbol of eternal life or resurrection.
BUTTERFLY - a symbol of resurrection.
CELTIC CROSS - a symbol of faith and eternity.
CIRCLE - a symbol of eternity, life never ending.
CLOUDS - a symbol of the Divine abode, Heaven.
CROSS - a symbol of faith and resurrection. Many military markers, in particular for Veterans of World War I, have a cross etched into the gravestone.
CROWN - a symbol of glory of life after death.
DOVE – a symbol of love, purity, resurrection and or the Holy Spirit.
EAGLE - many gravestones of Civil War veterans were engraved with images of eagles.
FINGER (pointing downward) - a symbol of calling the earth to witness.
FINGER ( pointing upward) - symbolizing the pathway to Heaven or the deceased found Heavenly reward.
FISH - symbolizing spiritual nourishment, faith, or deceased was a Christian.
FLOWER - a symbol of immortality.
FLYING BIRD - a symbol of rebirth.
GARLAND - symbolizes victory over death.
GRIM REAPER - a symbol found on many early gravestones, meaning the inevitability of death.
HANDS (CLASPED) - a symbol meaning farewell and the hope of meeting again in eternity.
HARP - a symbol of hope.
HEART - a symbol of love, devotion, joy, and/or mortality.
HOURGLASS - a symbol of the swift passage of time, as in the shortness of life on earth.
LAMB - a symbol meaning innocence; used primarily on an infant's or a child's gravestone.
LILY - a symbol of purity and/or chastity.
MYRTLE LEAVES - a symbol of undying love and/or peace.
OAK LEAVES - a symbol of faith and virtue and/or endurance.
OBELISK - a symbol quite popular during the 1880's through the 1930's, meaning rebirth, connection between earth and Heaven.
OLIVE BRANCH - a symbol of peace, forgiveness, one's humanity.
OPEN GATES - a symbol of afterlife and the deceased's soul entering into Heaven.
PYRAMID – a symbol meaning resurrection, eternal life, enlightenment, spiritual attainment.
RAINBOW – a symbol of union, fulfillment of the promise of resurrection.
ROPE CIRLE - a symbol of eternity.
ROSE - a symbol of love, victory, triumph, and/or purity.
SCYTHE - symbol of a life cut short, death, or the final harvest.
SHEAF of WHEAT - a symbol of old age, a fruitful life.
SKULL - a symbol used in the early to mid-1800's representing mortality and or penitence. A winged skull meant that the deceased ascended into Heaven.
SLEEPING CHERUB - a symbol of innocence used primarily on an infant's or a child's gravestone.
SWALLOW – a symbol of motherhood, the spirit of children, or a symbol of consolation.
SWORD - symbolizes the deceased's military service.
SWORDS (CROSSED) - symbolizes that the deceased died in battle.
TREE – a symbol of life, knowledge, the fall of man through sin, or human frailty.
TREE STUMP - symbol of a life interrupted.
TRUMPET - symbol announcing the resurrection of the deceased's soul entering into Heaven.
URN - symbol for the soul, immortality or penitence.
WHEEL - symbolizes the cycle of life, enlightenment, spiritual power.
WREATH of ROSES - a symbol of Heavenly joy and bliss.
