THE ABC’S OF GRAVESTONES AND SYMBOLISM

By: Tyla Rudd Period 6

A is for Angels

Sometimes confused with soul effigies,

angels represent the ‘heavenly

host’ and most times are

guiding the soul upward to heaven.

B is for Bible Bibles on

graves symbolizes exactly what it shows, a certain page of scripture or the ‘word through which one gains revelation’.

C is for Coffins

Both coffins and urns represent the ‘death of the flesh’ and are usually accompanied by a body or a soul effigy.

D is for Doves or Birds

On a gravestone the dove or a bird symbolizes the devotion of the person whom the stone belongs.

E is for Effigy

ef⋅fi⋅gy    /ˈɛfɪdʒi/ Show Spelled

Pronunciation [ef-i-jee] Show IPA –noun, plural -gies.

1. a representation or image, esp. sculptured, as on a monument.

F is for Flowers

Flowers represent the life of man and the beauty of his life. Sometimes to show ‘life being cut down in death’, the flower is shown cut and upside-down.

G is for Gourds

Popular in the 17th and 18th century, gourds symbolize the coming and going of the person’s earthly life.

H is for the Hourglass

Hourglasses represent the passing of time and when the hourglass is tipped or runs out of sand on the gravestone, it means the person’s time has run out.

I is for the Imps of Death Mainly used by

the Lamsom family of stone carvers, they symbolized the triumph of death. Sometimes they had arrows or were seen lowering the coffin into the grave.

J is for Judgment Day

To early New Englanders, the Puritans, one of their main beliefs was that of Judgment Day. The day you died was essentially the day you were judged and sent to either heaven or hell. One of their beliefs was also that this judgment was preconceived; you had way to predict or change the decision.

L is for Latin Quotes

When the practice of gravestones was still early, it was very common to see Latin quotes on graves. For example on Dorothy Rawson’s.

M is for the Mouth of the Death’s Head This is a

symbol of the soul rising triumphantly out of death.

N is for New gravestones

As with all art, the style of gravestones is ever-changing. Each stonecutter has his or her own style and no two stones are the same. However, some can be put under the modern category.

O is for the Ocean

Sailor’s gravestones sometimes had ships on them, like this one.

P is for Portraits

In almost all cases the portrait on the graves is that of the person buried beneath it.

R is for Red Granite

The majority of gravestones are made from granite. All types of granite including Albero, Marygold and Red granite. However there are a countless amount of types of granite.

S is for the Soul

On gravestones, the soul is symbolized sometimes by an urn.

T is for the Tree of Life

Popular during the 1700’s, the tree of life was poetically used as the symbol of earthy or heavenly spiritual life.

U is for Urn

An urn can represent either the soul or the ‘death of the flesh’, like the coffin.

V is for Vases

It is customary for people to put items on their loved one’s graves such as flowers and vases. However, sometimes the vase is built in.

W is for Wine, the Divine Fluid The symbol

of heavenly bliss, wine in tankards or chalices is usually found on stones of deacons of the church.

Y is for Yarmouth and Plymouth Some of the earliest gravestones

have been found in the Yarmouth and Plymouth areas of Massachusetts as well as Boston and Windsor, Connecticut.

Bibliography

Death and Dying In Puritan New England, Stephen P. Broker www.capecodgravestones.com Golden Owl Publishing, Writing History: Epitaphs www.spiritedghosthunting.com www.deejaysgravestones.net Alphabetical List of Graveyard Symbols and their Meanings

Primary Source-

The Association for Gravestone Studies/Archives (www.gravestonestudies.org)

THE END.