i visited a pioneer cemetery yesterday to see if i could find any of the symbols he talked about, and i was amazed to find nearly all of them. it’s such a different experience looking at graves when you can recognize the symbols--not only does it make me more appreciative of the art and help me understand the meaning, it also reveals so much about the dead and their lives and loved ones, and makes them more real. i got choked up a few times yesterday thinking about the deceased, especially ones who died young--you could tell from the stones how heartbroken their survivors were.
here’s a sampling of what i saw, along with brief (incomplete) explanations for the symbols i can identify--the teacher went through everything very fast and i was only able to write down quick notes. i know i could supplement this list by doing a few searches online, but right now i’m going for brevity. some of these stones have multiple symbols but i’m only listing each symbol once.
(hands/fingers pointing up: indicates the soul is in heaven; i have a photo of this but it won't upload for some reason)
urn: death of the flesh, immortality
flames/eternal flames: undying remembrance, soul rising from ashes (esp. on jewish graves)
flames/eternal flames: undying remembrance, soul rising from ashes (esp. on jewish graves)
tree-shaped stone: usually affiliated with woodmen of the world (fraternal organization that is now an insurance company)
lily: resurrection, innocence, purity
lily: resurrection, innocence, purity
“dum tacet clamat”: “though silent he speaks” (woodmen slogan)
dove w/branch: eternal peace, gentleness, holy spirit
ivy: friendship
dove w/branch: eternal peace, gentleness, holy spirit
ivy: friendship
cross w/crown: faith, external reward, christian science church
broken column: head of the family whose life was cut short
broken column: head of the family whose life was cut short