The Symbols
Anchor |
Hope, seaman. |
Angels |
Rebirth, resurrection, protection, judgment, wisdom, mercy, Divine love. |
Ankh |
Eternal life, peace, truth. |
Arch |
Victory in death, being rejoined with partner in heaven. |
Arrow |
Mortality. |
Beehive |
Domestic virtues, education, faith, abundance in the Promised Land, piety. |
Bell |
Mourning. |
Bird |
Eternal life, winged soul, spirituality. |
Book |
The Divine word or one's accomplishments. |
Broken or Draped column |
Early death, grief. |
Burning Flame |
Life or resurrection. |
Butterfly |
Resurrection. |
Caterpillar |
Life, metamorphosis. |
Celtic Cross |
Faith and eternity. |
Chain With Three Links |
Trinity, faith, Odd Fellows. |
Column |
Noble life. |
Conch Shell |
Wisdom, reincarnation. |
Cross |
Faith, resurrection. |
Crown |
Glory of life after death. |
Crown upon Skull |
Triumph of death. |
Cup or Chalice |
The Sacrament. |
Cypress |
Hope. |
Dolphin |
Resurrection, salvation, bearer of souls across water to heaven. |
Door |
Entrance to heaven. |
Dove |
Love, purity, resurrection, the Holy Spirit. |
Drapery or Pall |
Mourning or mortality. |
Eagle |
Courage, faith, generosity, contemplation, military. |
Eye |
Humility. |
Eye of Ra/Horus |
Sun/Moon, Life/Death, protection against evil. |
Female Figure |
Sorrow, grief. |
Finger Pointing Downward |
Calling the earth to witness. |
Finger Pointing Upward |
Pathway to heaven, heavenly reward. |
Fish |
Faith, life, spiritual nourishment. |
Flag |
Military, patriotism. |
Fleur de lys |
Perfection, light, life, royalty. |
Flower (general) |
Life's frailty, immortality. |
Flying Bird |
Rebirth. |
Frog |
Worldly pleasure, sin. |
Garland |
Victory over death. |
Grim Reaper |
Inevitability of Death. |
Gun |
Military service. |
Hair, Flowing |
Penitence. |
Hands Clasped |
Farewell, hope of meeting in eternity. |
Harp |
Hope. |
Heart, Pierced by Sword |
Virgin Mary, Christ, repentance. |
Heart, Flaming |
Religious fervor. |
Heart |
Love, devotion, sorrow, joy, mortality. |
Helmet |
Military service, strength, protection. |
Horseshoe |
Protection against evil. |
Hourglass |
Swift passage of time, temperance. |
IHS |
Eternity (Christian symbol: "In His Service" or "In this sign conquer") Commonly used in Celtic crosses. |
Isis |
Rebirth, the Virgin Mary. |
Ivy |
Fidelity, attachment, undying affection, eternal life. |
Lamb |
Innocence (specially on a child's grave), Resurrection. |
Laurel Leaves |
Triumph. |
Lily |
Purity, sometimes chastity. |
Lily of the Valley |
Rebirth, Virgin Mary. |
Lion |
Courage, bravery, strength. |
Lotus |
Purity, resurrection, perfect beauty, spiritual revelation. |
Masonic Compass and Set Square |
Freemasons, uprightness, judgment. |
Memento mori |
Symbol of death and reminder of mortality. |
Menorah |
Divine wisdom. |
Mistletoe |
Immortality. |
Moon |
Death, rebirth, victory, sorrow of the crucifixion. |
Mother and Child |
Charity, love. |
Myrtle |
Undying love, peace. |
Naked Figure |
Truth, purity, innocence. |
Oak |
Strength of faith and virtue, endurance. |
Obelisk |
Rebirth, connection between earth and heaven. |
Olive Branch |
Peace, forgiveness, humanity. |
Open Gates |
Afterlife, the soul entering heaven. |
Orb |
Faith. |
Owl |
Wisdom, solitude, a warning of impending death. |
Pall |
Mortality, mourning. |
Pansy |
Remembrance, meditation. |
Pick |
Death, mortality. |
Poppies |
Eternal sleep. |
Pyramid |
Resurrection, eternal life, enlightenment, spiritual attainment. |
Rainbow |
Union, fulfillment of the promise of resurrection. |
Ripened Fruit |
Nourishment of the soul. |
Rod or Staff |
Comfort to the bereaved. |
Rooster |
Awakening, resurrection, courage, vigilance. |
Rope Circle |
Eternity. |
Rose |
Victory, pride, triumphant love, purity. |
Scallop Shell |
Birth, baptism, resurrection, life everlasting, pilgrimage of life. |
Scarab |
Resurrection, transcendence. |
Scepter |
Fortitude. |
Scythe |
Death, cutting life short, the final harvest. |
Severed Branch |
Mortality. |
Shamrock |
Irish descent, Holy Trinity. |
Shattered Urn |
Old age. |
Sheaf of Wheat |
Old age, fruitful life. |
Shepherd's Crook |
Charity. |
Skeleton |
Death, life's brevity. |
Skull & Crossed Bones |
Death, crucifixion. |
Skull |
Transitory nature of earthly life, penitence, mortality. |
Sleeping Cherub |
Innocence (usually on child's grave). |
Smoke |
Vanity, futility of seeking earthly glory. |
Snail |
Laziness, sin. |
Snake, Encircled |
Everlasting life in heaven. (Also called oroboros) |
Spade |
Mortality, Death. |
Spider Web |
Human frailty. |
Star |
Divine guidance. |
Star of David |
Unity, transformation. |
Steps, 3 Tiered |
Faith, Hope and Charity. |
Sun Disc, Winged |
Spirituality, everlasting life. |
Sun Rising |
Renewed life, resurrection. |
Sun Setting |
Death. |
Sun Shining |
Everlasting life. |
Swallow |
Motherhood, spirit of children, consolation. |
Sword, Broken |
Life cut short. |
Sword, Inverted |
Relinquishment of power, victory. |
Sword, Sheathed |
Temperance. |
Sword |
Military. |
Swords, Crossed |
Life lost in battle. |
Tablets of the Decalogue |
Containing the text from Exodus and Deuteronomy given to Moses on Mount Sinai as a symbol of the Old Covenant. |
Tetragrammaton |
Four Hebrew letters Y, H, W, H spelling the true name of God, reminder of God's omnipresence. |
Thistle |
Scottish descent, earthly sorrow, defiance. |
Torch, Inverted |
Life extinguished. |
Torch |
Immortality, purification, truth, wisdom. |
Tree |
Life, knowledge, the fall of man through sin, human fruition or frailty. |
Tree Sprouting |
Life everlasting. |
Tree Stump |
Life interrupted. |
Tree Trunk |
Brevity of life, number of broken branches can indicate deceased family members buried at that site. |
Tree Trunk, Leaning |
Short interrupted life, mourning. |
Triangle |
Holy Trinity. |
Triqueta (3 interlocking circles or triangles) |
Eternity, Trinity, popular motif on Celtic crosses. |
Trumpet |
Announcement of the resurrection or the soul's entrance into heaven. |
Urn |
Immortality, penitence, death of the body and its return to dust in the final resting-place. |
Violet |
Humility. |
Weeping Willow |
Mourning, grief, lamentation, sorrow. |
Wheat |
Body of Christ. |
Wheel |
Cycle of life, enlightenment, spiritual power. |
Winged Face |
Effigy of the deceased soul, the soul in flight. |
Winged Hourglass |
Fleetness of life, mortality. |
Winged Skull |
Flight of the soul from mortal man. |
Wreath |
Victory. |
Wreath, of Roses |
Heavenly joy and bliss. |
Wreath on Skull |
Victory of death over life. |
Yin Yang Circle |
Harmony, balance, birth and death |
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