Symbols on Gravestones and Their Interpretations
- ANIMALS -
- ANT : Christian industry
- BATS (rare): the underworld
- BEE : resurrection. risen Christ; chastity
- BIRDS : souls
- BIRDS FLYING : flight of the soul back to God
- BUTTERFLY : resurrection; Christian metamorphosis
- CHRYSALIS : Christian metamorphosis; resurrection
- COCK : vigilance; St. Peter
- DOVE DESCENDING : holy ghost
- DOVE : peace; innocence; purity (7 doves-holy spirit); messenger of God carrying soul to heaven
- EAGLE: fierceness; ascension: the heavenly conveyor, national emblem of the United States: the military professional, Civil War casualties
- EAGLE WINGED: St. John, the Evangelist
- EGG: regeneration
- FISH: Christ; plentifulness
- FOX: cruelty; cunning
- FROG: resurrection
- HART (deer): the faithful thirsting for God
- LAMB: Christ; Redeemer; meekness: sacrifice; child; innocence; most common 19th century child'smarker
- LAMB WITH BANNER: resurrection
- LION: strength; courage; royalty; power; guardian; fallen hero
- LION WINGED: St. Mark the Evangelist
- OX WINGED: St. Luke the Evangelist
- PEACOCK: immortality; eternity; resurrection; incorruptibility of the flesh
- PELICAN: feeds young with own blood; redemption through Christ
- PHOENIX: immortality; baptism
- RAM: sacrifice
- ROOSTER: the awakening from the fall from grace; repentance
- SHEEP & GOATS: Christians and non-believers
- SERPENT: symbol of death
- SNAKE: sin; Satan; fall of man
- SNAKE HOOPED: eternity
- SNAKE WITH TAIL IN MOUTH: eternity; unity
- SPHINX: lion represents strength and protection; used to guard entrances
- SQUIRREL: Christian forethought; spiritual striving
- STAG: same as hart
- FIGURES -
- ANGEL: messenger between God & man; guide
- ANGEL FLYING: rebirth; guardian angel
- ANGEL TRUMPETING: call to the resurrection
- ANGEL WEEPING: grief
- BREASTS: the Divine, nourishing fluid of the soul (17th century); the church; the ministry; the nourishment of the soul
- CHILD SLEEPING: Victorian death motif
- DEATH'S HEAD WINGED: mortality
- EFFIGES: the soul
- EFFIGES CROWNED: personal reward of righteousness
- EFFIGES WINGED: the flight of the soul
- FATHER TIME: mortality, the grim reaper
- FOUR EVANGELISTS: Matthew, winged man; Mark, winged lion; Luke, winged ox; John, winged eagle
- HAND OF GOD: pointing downward-mortality, sudden death
- HAND OF GOD: pointing upward-the reward of the righteous; confirmation of life after death
- HANDS: devotion, prayer
- HANDSHAKES: farewell to earthly existence
- HANDS CLASPED: in death as in life, the devotion of these two is not destroyed
- IMPS: figures, some winged, some not, doing funeral related tasks; mortality
- MAN, WINGED: St. Matthew the Evangelist
- TRUMPETERS: heralds of the resurrection
- WOMAN WEEPING: mourning; recalls myth of Niobe, whom the gods turned to stone as she wept for her slain children
- LATIN PHRASES -
- FUGIT HORA: "hours are fleeting", "time flies"
- IHS: monogram or symbol representing the Greek contraction of "Jesus": sometimes regarded as an abbreviation of the Latin phrase meaning "Jesus, Savior of Men"
- INRI: often seen on a banner of latin cross: "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum". Latin for Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (John 12: 19-22)
- MEMENTO MORI: "remember death"
- TEMPUS ERAT: "time is gone"; "time has run out"
- XP: Chi Rho-first two Greek letters of the word "Christ"
- OBJECTS -
- ALPHA & OMEGA: first and last letters of the Greek alphabet symbolizing the beginning & end of all things, see Revelation 22:13
- ANCHOR: hope, life eternal; may signify seafaring profession
- ANVIL: martyrdom
- ARCH: triumph, victory in death
- ARK: church; salvation
- ARK OF NOAH (rare): refuge, salvation
- ARMOR: protection from evil
- ARROW: martyrdom, mortality
- ARROW QUIVER: warlike
- BANNER: victory; triumph
- BATTLE AXE: martyrdom
- BELLS: call to worship
- BIBLES: resurrection through the scripture; the clergy
- BOOK: Bible; wisdom
- BOOKS STACKED: knowledge
- BRANCH SEVERED: mortality
- BUGLES: resurrection; the military profession
- CANDLE BEING SNUFFED: time, mortality
- CANDLE FLAME: life
- CANDLESTICK: Christ; devotion
- CELTIC CROSS: circle on it symbolizes eternity
- CIRCLE: eternity; or earth
- CLOCK (rare): passage of time, mortality
- CLOUDS: the divine abode
- COATS OF ARMS AND CRESTS: lineage, status
- COFFINS: mortality
- COLUMN BROKEN: sorrow; broken life
- COLUMNS WITH DOORS: heavenly entrance
- CRESCENT MOON: Virgin
- CROSS: salvation
- CROSS WITH RAYS OF RISING SUN: glory
- CROSS WITH WINDING SHEET: descent from cross
- CROWN: reward of faithful, victory, triumph, glory; righteousness; resurrection
- CROWN ON CROSS: sovereignty of Christ
- CROZIER: bishop
- CUP: Eucharist
- DARTS: mortality, dart of death
- DRAPERY OVER ANYTHING: sorrow; mourning
- FIELD ARTILLERY (rare): the military profession
- FINGER: pointing to heaven
- FLAME: eternity
- FLEUR-DE-LIS: Virgin; Trinity
- FLYFOT: swastika
- GARLAND: victory
- PORTALS: passageways to the eternal journey
- PORTRAITS: stylized likenesses of the deceased
- PYRAMID: symbolic of death
- ROCK: steadfastness of Christ; stability
- ROSARY: devotion to Mary
- SCALES: weighing of souls; justice
- SCROLL: the law; Scriptures
- SCYTHE: time, the divine harvest
- SHELL: pilgrimage: baptism of Christ
- SHELL, SCALLOP: pilgrim; pilgrim's journey; resurrection
- SHIP: the Church
- SHIPS' PROFILES: the seafaring profession
- SHRINE: wisdom; knowledge
- SKELETONS: mortality, Death
- SKULL: death; sin
- SKULL, WINGED: flight of the soul from mortal man
- SKULLS AND CROSSBONES: mortality
- STAR: birth-life; Christ
- STAR, FIVE POINTED: Star of Bethlehem; star of Jacob; divine guidance and protection
- STAR, SIX POINTER: the Father, Creation, heavenly wisdom
- SUN: God or Son
- SUN, SETTING: death
- SUN, RISING: resurrection; renewed life
- SUNS, MOONS AND STARS: the reward of the resurrection
- SWORD: martyrdom; courage; warfare
- SWORDS, CROSSED: high ranking military person
- THREE: three points, three leaves, three of any thing-Trinity
- TOMBS: mortality
- TORCH: zeal; enlightenment
- TORCH, INVERTED: extinction of life; death; mourning
- TORCH, UPRIGHT: immortality, liberty, upright life, the scholastic world, the betrayal of Christ
- TRUMPET: day of judgment; resurrection
- URN: soul; mortality
- URN, DRAPED: death, sorrow
- WINGED WHEEL: holy spirit
- YOKE: burden-bearing; service; patience
- TREES & PLANTS -
- ALMOND: favor from God; Virgin birth
- APPLE: sin; Eve
- BELLFLOWER: gratitude
- BOUQUETS: condolences, grief
- BUDS: renewal of life
- CEDAR: strong faith; length of days; success
- CYPRUS: sorrow; death; eternal life, Roman symbol for mourning
- EASTER LILY: modern flower symbolic of resurrection
- EVERGREENS: immortality
- FLOWER: brevity of earthly existence, sorrow; certain flowers may symbolize emotions, particular aspirations, attitudes, both religious and secular
- FLOWER, BROKEN: premature death
- FRUIT: eternal plenty
- FRUIT AND VINE: Jesus Christ; the Christian church
- GOURDS: the coming to be and passing away of all earthly matters
- IVY: abiding memory, friendship, fidelity
- LAUREL: victory, triumph, glory
- LILY, LILIES: resurrection, purity
- LOTUS: Egyptian water lily and ornament
- OAK: supernatural power and strength; eternity
- OLIVE: peace; healing faith
- PALM: spiritual victory over death; martyrdom; reward of the righteous; peace; a plant whose leaves resemble a hand
- PINEAPPLE: hospitality
- POMEGRANATE: immortality; resurrection; unity; nourishment of the soul
- POPPY: symbolic of sleep, therefore, death
- ROSES: condolonce, sorrow; the brevity of earthly existence; of English descent-the Tudor rose
- SHEAVES OF WHEAT: time, the divine harvest
- STRAWBERRY: righteousness; humility
- THISTLE: of Scottish descent; the inevitability of death, remembrance
- TREE: faith; life; the Tree of Life
- TREE, FELLED: mortality
- TREE TRUNK, BROKEN: premature death
- VINE: Christian church; Christ; wine, the symbolic blood of Jesus; the sacraments
- WHEAT SHEAVES: the divine harvest
- WILLOW, WEEPING: grief; death (carried at Masonic funerals); earthly sorrow, the symbolic tree of human sadness, Nature's lament
- WREATH: victory in death, indestructible crown worn by triumphant Christian; eternity
- WREATH WORN BY SKULL: victory of death over life
- YEW: immortality
