MENORAH

Seven-branched candlestick that is a Jewish symbol for divine presence of God.  The seven branches of the candlestick represent the seven channels of the spiritual self-expression.

MERMAID

Dualism of Christ – half God, half man

MOSS

Merit.

MORNING GLORY

Resurrection, mourning, youth, farewell, brevity of life, departure, mortality; beginning of life.

MULBERRY

I will not survive you.

OAK

Strength.  It is believed to have been the tree from which Jesus Christ’s cross was made.  In smaller pioneer cemeteries, it is common to place children’s graves near oak trees.  The oak tree was the tree of life in pre-Christian times.  The Druids worshipped the oak.

OLIVE BRANCH

Peace; symbol of safety which the dove brought to Noah after the flood

PALL, PICK, SPADE

Mortality

PALM

Spiritual victory, success, eternal peace, a symbol of Christ’s victory over death as associated with Easter.

PANSY

Symbolizes remembrance and humility.

PASSION FLOWER

The elements of the passion of Christ: the lacy crown-the crown of thorns; the five stamens-the five wounds; the ten petals- the ten faithful apostles.

PEACOCK

Symbolized the incorruptibility of flesh, resurrection, beauty of soul, immortality.

PENTAGRAM

This is a five-pointed, star-shaped figure made by extending the sides of a regular pentagon until they meet.  This figure pre-dates Christianity and was first known to be used by Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher. Later, in the Middle Ages, the pentagram was used by magicians and sorcerers.  It was believed that the pentagram offered protection against evil.  Christianity adopted the figure and the symbolism to suggest the five wounds suffered by Christ on the cross.  It is interesting to note that the pentagram is used by both Christianity and Wicca (witchcraft).

P. of H.

Patrons of Husbandry/ a grange affiliation.

PINE

Fertility, regeneration, fidelity.

PINEAPPLE

Hospitality, good host.

PITCHER OR EWER

Traditional Jewish symbol found on a man’s gravestone, signifying a Levite, who was responsible for cleaning the hands of the Temple Priest before he performed his priestly duties.

POPPY

Peace, rest, sleep, eternal sleep, consolation.

PORTALS

Passageway to eternal journey.

PYRAMID

Eternity.  It was supposed that a pyramid-shaped tombstone prevented the devil from reclining on a grave.

RELICT

Widow

R.I.P.

Short form for Requiescat In Pace (Rest In Peace)

ROD or STAFF

Comfort

ROOSTER

Awakening, courage, vigilance.

ROSE

Love, beauty, hope, unfailing love, associated with the Virgin Mary, the “rose without thorns.”  A red rose symbolizes martyrdom and a white rose symbolizes purity and virginity.
The different stages of a rose’s bloom, is indicative of the person’s age at time of death.
Just a bud- generally a child 12 years or under
Partial bloom- generally a teenager
Full bloom- normally in early/mid-twenties. The deceased died in the prime of life.
Rosebud, broken- life cut short usually found with a young person’s grave.
Rosebuds, joining- strong bond between two people (e.g. mother and child who died at the same time)
Rosebuds, several on same branch- secrecy
Rosette- The Lord, messianic hope, promise, love.
Wreath of rose- Beauty and virtue rewarded.

SCROLL

Symbol of life and time.  Both ends rolled up indicate a life that is unfolding like a scroll of uncertain length and the past and future hidden.  Often held by a hand representing life being recorded by angels.  The scroll can also suggest honor and commemoration.

SCYTHE

Death, the divine harvest.

SERPENT

Shown swallowing its own tail, it represents spiritual striving.

SHAMROCK

Ireland as country of origin.

SHELL

The use of shell in burials is pre-Christian in practice and pre-dates even Egyptian burial practices.  Shell is symbolic of fertility, resurrection and pilgrimage.  Shell, small stones, and coins are the traditional objects left at grave sites.  There are several meanings given to this act.  It may be a symbolic referral to the ancient custom of burying the dead under a cairn of rocks to protect the body from scavenging animals, or a reminder that the individual is not forgotten.
Scallop- symbol of the Crusades, pilgrim, pilgrim’s journey, resurrection, life everlasting, connotes one’s life journey. A symbol of birth and resurrection, a traditional symbol of the Puritans.

SHIP

The grave of a seafarer.

SICKLE

Death as the “last harvest”.

SKULL/SKELETON

Mortality; death.

SNAKE in a CIRCLE

Everlasting life in Heaven.

SOLDIER on HORSEBACK

While some sources state that the following meanings are not uniformly intended by the monument craftsman, other sources state that if the horse has both front hoofs in the air, the person died in battle.  If one hoof is raised, the person died as a result of wounds; if the horse has all four hoofs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

SQUARE

It represents the earth and earthly existence.  Some monuments have a cube or square inverted to point the corners downward and upward. This illustrates earthly existence and the directions of earth and heaven.

SQUIRREL w/ NUT

Religious meditation or spiritual striving.

STAR

Five-pointed star- Symbolic of the life of Christ and may also represent the five wounds of Christ.
Five-pointed pentagram star-This star is drawn with one stroke of the pen. Its exact origin is unknown, and its meaning has changed throughout the ages.  The pre-Christian Celtic priests called it the witch’s foot. It is also called Solomon’s Seal and was known in the Middle Ages as the goblin’s cross.  Today the symbol is a favorite among graffiti artists and so-called demonology practitioners.  Like the pentagon, it is believed to have protective powers against evil.  In Wicca beliefs, it represents protection against demons and a symbol of safety.  The ancient Babylonians used the symbol as a magic charm.  The five-pointed pentagram star represents the five senses. In Judaism, it represents the five mosaic books.  This symbol has also been adopted by Masonic organizations.
The Star of David- six-pointed star or Magen David (Hebrew for shield of David), it is typically used as a symbol of Judaism.  The star is actually comprised of two triangles.  It signifies divine protection as epitomized by the alchemistic signs for fire and water which are an upward and downward apexed triangle.  The star can be traced back to ancient times, used by several Asia Minor cultures, as well as some Greek city states.  For Judaism, the Star of David came into widespread use at the beginning of the 20th century.  Theodore Hertzel, a Jewish activist, adopted the symbol in his writings promoting Palestine as a Jewish homeland.

SUN SETTING

Death.

SUN RISING/SHINING or w/RAYS

Renewed life; resurrection

SWASTIKA

Exact origin is unknown but it is considered one of the oldest and widespread symbols used.  Commonly found on Buddhist memorials, it represents the sea of the Buddha’s heart; the doctrine of the Buddha; the round of existence.  To the Chinese, the swastika had two forms symbolizing the male and female; clock-wise and counter-clockwise.  Also used by the Romans and later by the Nazi party in Germany during the Second World War.

SWORD

A military career.
Broken sword- life cut short.
Crossed swords- life lost in battle.

THISTLE

Earthly sorrow, Christ’s crown of thorns, Scotland as country of origin, remembrance.

TREE

The all-covering love of Christ.  Life, The Tree of Life.

TORCH

Lit or upright the torch represents life.

TORCH INVERTED

Life extinguished.

TRIANGLE/TREFOIL/
TRIQUETRA

In Christianity, the equilateral triangle is the symbol of the Trinity.  Other geometric shapes representing the Holy Trinity are the trefoil, the triquetra, the circle within the triangle, the triangle in the circle and the triquetra and circle.  To the ancient Egyptians, the triangle was an emblem of Godhead; to the Pythagoreans, it symbolized wisdom.  Another use of the triangle is in the symbol of the eye (Eye of God) surrounded by a triangle.

TRUMPETS

Victory and resurrection.

TRUMPETERS

Heralds of the resurrection.

URN

Greek symbol of mourning, the body as a vessel of the soul, originating as repository for the ashes of the dead in ancient times – a popular symbol of mourning.

URN w/BLAZE

Undying friendship.

VESSEL w/FLAME

The eternal flame or the eternal spirit of man.

VINE

The sacraments, God’s blood, God

WEEPING WILLOW

Mourning, grief. Nature’s lament, a symbol of sorrow.

WHEAT

Resurrection, bread and wine (Christian), fertility. Convent bakers use wheat flour to make communion wafers, making it a holy plant, of sorts, fit to grace the tombstone of a priest.

WINGED FACE

Effigy of the soul of the deceased.

WINGED GLOBE

A symbol of the first Egyptian sun god, Re.  On Victorian monuments it is symbolic of the power that can recreate and, with the wings, means, “God, Lord over all, creator.”

WINGED SKULL

Flight of the soul from mortal man.

WINGED WHEEL

Symbolized the Holy Spirit.

WOMAN HANGING ONTO CROSS

Faith. Original drawing accompanied Rev. Toplady’s hymn “Rock of Ages.”  Also seen as woman clinging to pillar or anchor.  Common motif on white bronze monuments and Masonic grave memorials.

YEW TREE

Sadness, eternal life.