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A person doesn’t need to spend much time wandering through old cemeteries before seeing a myriad of carved trees, lambs, pointing fingers, and more. Sometimes these images are a reflection of the personality of the deceased or the relatives left behind, but often there is a specific meaning to the creation. Here are some common examples and what they frequently mean, although local interpretation may be something entirely different. In fact, in some cases the symbol may have no meaning whatsoever - it might just be an image the deceased or a loved one liked. In Newaygo County, many of the following symbols can be found, often in combination with each other.
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ANIMALS |
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Bee |
Resurrection, the risen Christ; chastity |
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The flight of the soul back to God |
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Descending dove |
Holy Ghost |
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Single dove |
Peace; innocence |
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Eagle |
Fierceness; National emblem of the United States: the military professional, often associated with Civil War casualties |
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Fish |
Christ |
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Lamb |
Christ; Redeemer; the lamb is often used to mark the grave of a child |
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Lion |
Strength; courage; guardian; fallen hero |
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Lion with wings |
St. Mark the Evangelist |
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Phoenix |
Immortality; baptism |
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Ram |
Sacrifice |
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Rooster |
Repentance |
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Serpent |
Symbol of death |
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Snake with tail in mouth |
Eternity; unity |
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FIGURES |
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Angel |
Messenger between God & man; guide |
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Rebirth |
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Angel trumpeting |
Call to the resurrection |
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Angel weeping |
Grief |
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Child, sleeping |
Victorian death motif |
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Winged skull |
Mortality |
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Mortality, sudden death |
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The reward of the righteous; confirmation of life after death. See also Finger. |
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Hands |
Devotion, prayer |
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Farewell to earthly existence. This, or a variation, is a very common symbol found on many of the older stones in the area. It is also one of my favorites. |
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Hands clasped |
In death as in life, the devotion of these two is not destroyed |
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Trumpeters |
Heralds of the resurrection |
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Mourning; recalls myth of Niobe, whom the gods turned to stone as she wept for her slain children |
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LATIN PHRASES |
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Fugit hora |
"Hours are fleeting", "Time flies" |
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Monogram or symbol representing the Greek contraction of "Jesus" |
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INRI |
Frequently seen on a banner over the cross: "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum". Latin for Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (John 12:19-22) |
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Memento mori |
"Remember death" |
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Tempus erat |
"Time is gone"; "Time has run out" |
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XP-Chi Rho |
First two Greek letters of the word "Christ" |
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THINGS |
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Alpha & Omega |
The beginning & end of all things, see Revelation 22:13 |
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Hope, life eternal. Anchors are relatively common in the area on older stones, owing largely, I suspect, to the Calvinist history of West Michigan. |
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The bible; wisdom |
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Books, stacked |
Knowledge |
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Bugles |
Resurrection; the military profession |
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Celtic cross |
Circle symbolizes eternity; equal length arms represent the four elements |
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Three links of chain, often with the letters F, L, and T in the links, indicates a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization unique in that provides a death benefit to its members. The letters represent Friendship, Love, and Truth. |
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Circle |
Eternity; or earth |
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Coats of arms and crests |
Lineage, status |
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Column, broken |
Sorrow |
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Columns, doors |
Entrance to heaven |
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Christ; salvation |
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Reward of faithful, victory, triumph, glory; righteousness; resurrection |
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Crown on cross |
The sovereignty of Christ |
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Crozier |
Bishop |
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Cup |
Eucharist |
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Sorrow; mourning |
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Pointing to heaven. See also Hand of God, up. |
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Flame |
Eternity |
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Fleur-de-lis |
The Holy Virgin; the Trinity |
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Pyramid |
Symbolic of death |
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Rock |
The steadfastness of Christ; stability |
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Rosary |
Devotion to Mary |
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Scales |
Weighing of souls; justice |
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Scroll |
The law; Scriptures |
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Scythe |
The passage of time, the divine harvest |
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Shell |
Pilgrimage: baptism of Christ |
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Shell, scallop |
Pilgrim; pilgrim's journey; resurrection |
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Ship |
The Church |
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Skeletons |
Mortality and death |
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Skull |
Death; sin |
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Skull, winged |
Flight of the soul from mortal man |
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Skulls and crossbones |
Mortality |
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Star |
Birth, life; |
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Star, five pointed |
Star of Bethlehem; star of Jacob; divine guidance and protection |
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Star, six pointed |
Star of David, Judaism; The Father, Creation, heavenly wisdom |
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Sun, setting |
Death |
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Sun, rising |
Resurrection; renewed life |
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Suns, moons and stars |
The reward of the resurrection |
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Sword |
Martyrdom; courage; warfare |
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Swords, crossed |
High ranking military person |
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Three of any thing |
The Holy Trinity |
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Tombs |
Mortality |
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Torch, upright- |
Immortality, liberty, the scholastic world |
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Trumpet |
Day of judgment; resurrection |
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The soul; mortality |
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Urn, draped |
Death, sorrow |
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Winged wheel |
Holy Spirit, may be based on a passage from Ezekiel in the Old Testament |
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Yoke |
Burden-bearing; service; patience |
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TREES AND PLANTS |
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Almond |
Favor from God; Virgin birth |
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Bellflower |
Gratitude |
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Bouquets |
Condolences, grief |
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Buds |
Renewal of life |
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Cedar |
Strong faith; length of days; success |
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Cypress |
Sorrow; death; eternal life; the cypress is the Roman symbol for mourning |
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Easter lily |
Modern flower symbolic of resurrection |
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Evergreens |
Immortality |
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Flower |
Brevity of earthly existence, sorrow; certain flowers may symbolize emotions, in particular aspirations and attitudes, both religious and secular |
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Flower, broken |
Premature death |
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Fruit |
Eternal plenty |
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Fruit and vine |
Jesus Christ; the Christian church |
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Gourds |
The coming to be and passing away of all earthly matters |
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Ivy |
Abiding memory, friendship, fidelity |
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Laurel |
Victory, triumph, glory |
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Oak |
Supernatural power and strength; eternity |
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Olive |
Peace; healing faith |
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Palm |
Spiritual victory over death; martyrdom; reward of the righteous; peace; a plant whose leaves resemble a hand |
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Pineapple |
Hospitality |
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Pomegranate |
Immortality; resurrection; unity; nourishment of the soul |
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Poppy |
Symbolic of sleep, therefore, death |
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Roses |
Condolence, sorrow; the brevity of earthly existence; of English descent, as with the Tudor rose |
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Sheaves of wheat |
Time, the divine harvest |
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Strawberry |
Righteousness; humility |
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Thistle |
Of Scottish descent; the inevitability of death, remembrance |
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Faith; life; the Tree of Life; may also signify a member of the Woodsmen of the World |
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Tree, felled |
Mortality |
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Tree trunk, broken |
Premature death |
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Vine |
Christian church; Christ; wine, the symbolic blood of Jesus; the sacraments |
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Wheat sheaves |
The divine harvest |
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Grief; death (carried at Masonic funerals); earthly sorrow, the symbolic tree of human sadness |
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Victory in death; eternity |
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Wreath worn by skull |
Victory of death over life |
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Yew |
Immortality |
A useful bibliography, as provided by the Association for Gravestone Studies
Benes, Peter, The Masks of Orthodoxy: Folk Gravestone Carving in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 1689-1805. The University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, Massachusetts, 1977.
Duval, Francis Y., and Ivan B. Rigby, Early American Gravestone Art in Photographs. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1979.
Forbes, Harriette Merrifield, Gravestones of Early New England and the Men Who Made Them 1653-1800. The Pyne Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1927 reprint, soft-cover. This book, currently out of print, is available in libraries.
George, Diana Hume and Malcolm A. Nelson, Epitaph and Icon: A Field Guide to the Old Grounds of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. Parnassus Imprints, Orleans, Massachusetts, 1983.
Gillon, Jr., Edmund Vincent, Early New England Gravestone Rubbings. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1966.
Jacobs, G.Walker, Stranger Stop and Cast an Eye. A Guide to Gravestones and Gravestone Rubbing. The Stephen Greene Press, Brattleboro, Vermont, 1972.
Ludwig, Allan I., Graven Images: New England Stonecarving and its Symbols, 1650-1815. Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Connecticut, 1966.
Tashjian, Dickran and Ann, Memorials for Children of Change: The Art of New England Stonecarving. Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Connecticut, 1973.
Wasserman, Emily, Gravestone Designs: Rubbings and Photographs from Early New York and New Jersey. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1972.
Willsher, Betty and Doreen Hunter, Stones: 18th Century Scottish Gravestones. Taplinger Publishing Company, New York, 1979.
Williams, Melvin G.. The Last Word: The Lure and Lore of Early New England Graveyards. Oldstone Enterprises, 186 Lincoln Street, Suite 705, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, 1973. (This booklet includes an excellent 8 page discussion of symbolism which divides gravestone symbols into categories.)
