OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Old Tombstones Carvings & saying meanings *************************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. *************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Cramer John.Cramer@das.state.oh.us December 30, 1998 *************************************************************************** Old Tombstone Carvings meanings: The term "Relict" on a tombstone means that the woman was a widow at time of death, consort means that her husband survived her. "Cenotaph" engraved on a tombstone indicates an empty grave, with the stone erected in honor or memory of a person buried elsewhere - often erected in honor of a person lost at sea. Meanings of Carvings: I don't remember where I found these or maybe you all have already seen them. GRAVESTONE SYMBOLS WE deal so often with abbreviation and scrawled handwriting that we must decipher. We should also understand some of the symbols we encounter when we go graveyard hopping. They may no longer have meaning to us; but to many of our ancestors, the symbols chosen for their graves and vaults were once not simply ornamental in nature. THE early Christians had to develop a system of signs in order to guide one another to secret meeting places for worship. You know, the early church members were called "atheists," and not because they did not worship a God. It was because they ONLY worshipped ONE god, not a plurality of gods, so they were atheists-without gods. ONE of the symbols they chose, a common enough symbol and apparently innocuous, was the anchor, within a Christian context, was really a disguised cross, and carries with it the connotation that Christ is the anchor that prevents the Christian from drifting loose and being lost forever. AN anchor is a more modern (post-medevil times) context may make reference to a person having been a Christian or simply as a sailor. An anchor with a broken chain consistently symbolizes the breaking of the soul from life-death. A perpetual favorite, of course, is the angel. The angel in latter days often symbolizes the image that parents want to hold of a dead child-now an angel, a cherub as depicted in Renaissance art. A crescent is commonly used to show that a person was a follower of the Islamic faith. The use of this symbol is also applied by some, but not all, Black Muslims. THE Christian views the cross as the instrument of death that led to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The cross was the only instrument, not the representation of the Truth who died in the place of sinners. It has been popular through the centuries for some faiths. However, the symbol of the cross may also represent different nationalist divisions, such as a division between the Western Church and the Eastern Church. THE Japanese also used a cross, but for them it represented the four quarters of the earth, although sometimes it meant the four compass directions. Crowns commonly refer either to a heavenly reward awaiting the dead one, or perhaps worldly achievements of the deceased. SOMEWHERE between the Middle Ages and the 17th or 18th century, having a dog on your gravestone or marker or vault came to mean two different things. Placed most commonly at the feet of medieval women, they signified loyalty and inferiority in the chivalric order. More modern applications came to suggest that the one buried there was worthy of love and affection or, at least, loyalty. Again, as another non sequitur, have you wondered why you refer to your feet as dogs, as in "my dogs are really barking," or "my dogs are killing me? In the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, the most handsome, most expensive, and most desirable shower were those made from dogskin-and especially Dalmatian. A small bird that often appears in both Christian and Jewish cemeteries is the dove, symbol most Christians as the Holy Spirit, and to the Jews as a symbol of peace. Europeans used to see the dove also as a symbol of purity and spiritually because of its white coloring. WHILE it is rare to see one, DRAGONS on their gravestones. When they appear, Saint George rides out to kill them. This symbolizes triumph over sin. And when one triumphs over Sin, one has won relief from the most stinging qualities of Death: the punishments for our sins. THE BLEEDING HEART, a rather graphic image somewhat unique to Roman Catholicism, is a depiction of a tomb and blood-dripping cardiac muscle, wrested from the bosom of the Christ, and commonly surrounded by a crown of thorns. The heart of Christ represents Jesus' suffering for the sins of mankind, and marks that grave as that of a Catholic. THE hourglass, a symbol for time from ancient days. Hourglasses are commonly depicted with the lower portion full of sand, and the top empty-the glass has run out of time. Frequently, hourglasses will be shown with wings, as in flight. A glass in flight may refer to wither the fleeting nature of life ("Tempest fugit"), or it may be somewhat oblique reference to the resurrection. I prefer the earthly reference as more likely. Perhaps one day when science believes it can raise the dead and bring them to life again, we will start using digital watches as symbols on our gravestones- a new battery-a new life. WHEN you see a KEY on a marker, look for Greek letters. If no Greek letters appear, the buried one was NOT Phi Beta Kappa. Instead, the key or keys may represent the keys to the Kingdom of God (and that is how you should interpret it if you see a key or keys in the hand of an angel or a person on a marker), or it may indicate spiritual revelation or knowledge. More often than not, a LAMB will mark the grave of a child. Lambs have historically stood for innocence, and for being a member of the flock of the Good Shepherd. When you see a LAMP-usually one that looks as you might think Aladdin's lamp looked-the object of that symbol is to let you know that either here was one with knowledge, or who attained the immortality through the Holy Spirit. SCYTHES and SICKLES represent the wheat that will be separated from the chaff, the fields that are white unto harvest, and the way in which death levels all of us. It reminds us all that the harvest-whether the harvest is that death taking life, or the harvest of Christ taking his people to be separated from the lost-is imminent. And it tells us that death comes swiftly and efficiently. IS it a RISING SUN or a SETTING SUN? Is this a case of "po-ta-to" or "potah-to"? Well, a setting sun is the passing from life to death, and a rising sun is the New Birth of Christianity, or the new day dawning in hope of heaven or reincarnation. Trouble is, how do you know which one is depicted on the stone? For many, the use of a sun is an application of the Scripture which tells the Christian that the "Su(o)n of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings" AN empty or a sraped URN may make reference to the departure of the soul and spirit from the body. (Note that theologically, humans have both a spirit and a soul...Animals have only one of the two.) Since URNS have historically held the ashes of the dead, it seems likely that URNS and the Shrouds that often accompany then in gravestone are reflect rather the fact and perhaps the finality of death. Old Tombstone Carvings: Meanings of Carvings: Arches--- Victory in Death Arrows--- Mortality Bouquets/Flowers--- Condolences, grief, sorrow Buds/Rosebud--- Morning of Life or Renewal of Life Roses--- Brevity of earthly existence Portals--- Passageway to eternal journey Bugles--- Resurrection and the Military Crossed Swords--- High-ranking military person Flying Birds--- Flight of the Soul Fruits --- Eternal plenty Garlands --- Victory in death Imps--- Mortality Shells--- Pilgrimage of Life Thistles--- Remembrance Tombs--- Mortality Trees--- Life Trumpeters--- Heralds of the Resurrection Willows--- Earthly Sorrow Morning Glory--- Beginning of Life Butterfly--- Short-lived; Early Death Full-Blown Rose--- Prime of Life Palm Branch--- Signifies Victory and Rejoicing Ivy--- Friendship and Immortality Laurel--- Fame or Victory Oak Leaves & Acorn--- Maturity, Ripe Old Age Weeping Willow--- Emblem of Sorrow Corn--- Ripe Old Age Sheaf of Wheat--- Ripe for Harvest, Divine Harvest, Time Poppy--- Sleep Lamb--- Innocence Dove--- Innocence, Gentleness, Affection, Purity Cherub--- Angelic Cross--- Emblem of Faith Anchor/Ships--- Hope or Seafaring profession Broken Ring--- Family Circle Severed Broken Column--- Loss of Head of Family Torch Inverted--- Life Extinct Urn with Blaze --- Undying Friendship Harp--- Praise to the Maker Handshakes--- Farewell Hearts--- Soul in Bliss or Love of Christ Horns--- The Resurrection Hourglass--- Swiftness of Time Open Book/ Bible--- Deceased Teacher, Minister, etc. Lily or Lily of Valley--- Emblem of Innocence and Purity Tree Stump w/Ivy--- Head of Family; Immortality Urn with /Wreath or Crepe-- Mourning Stars & Stripes Around Eagle--- Eternal Vigilance, Liberty Hourglass w/Wings of Time--- Time Flying; Short Life Candle being Snuffed--- Time, mortality Coffin, Father Time, Picks/Shovels, Darts--- Mortality Hand of God Chopping--- Sudden Death Winged Effigies--- Flight of the Soul jwc -- (:}) JWCramer-HillTopUSA jcramer@freenet.columbus.oh.us or John.Cramer@das.State.OH.US Beware of the Genealogy Bug; It's bite can be addictive. 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