Below are some of the more common symbols often found in carvings or headstones. Other symbols on a headstone may relate to the person's occupation, be a family coat of arms, or be a link to membership of some organisation important to them, to their ethnicity or have a special religious meaning.
ACANTHUS: Greek and Roman architectural decoration (widely used to decorate slabs) to symbolise enduring life, immortality
ALPHA AND OMEGA: First and last letter of the Greek alphabet, beginnings and ends
ANEMONE: Symbol of a brief blossoming and an early death
ANCHOR: Hope, life eternal, steadfastness, the seafaring profession
ANKH: Egyptian symbol of eternal life
ARCH: Ceremonial, triumphant significance. Triumph over death, arch of sky and heaven, passage to heaven
ANVIL: Martyrdom, symbol of blacksmiths
ARK: Church, salvation
ANGEL: The agent of God and guide to heaven. Signifies divine communication and spiritual aspirations. Usually have right hand and right finger raised to heaven. Left hand often holds a scroll, the anchor of faith, trumpet of resurrection or palm fronds of peace ARROW: Mortality and martyrdom
AXE: Signifies martial themes
BED: Eternal sleep or rest
BEEHIVE: Domestic virtue, faith, education and human industry
BELL: Church bell or religion, call to worship
BIBLE: Christianity
BIRD FLYING: Resurrection
BOAT/SHIP: A voyage or crossing to the other side, seafaring
BOOK: Symbol of the book of life and often can be surmounted by a crown and quill or held in the right hand of God or an angel. Can also depict learning, scholarship, prayer or trade of a writer or bookseller. Books and scrolls also represent Evangelists
BROKEN CHAIN: Usually situated around the top of a headstone to symbolise the links of love with a family broken in death
BUDS: Renewal of life or loss of a young soul; a child died too young
BUTTERFLY: The soul, symbol of resurrection or a short life
CANDLE: Stands for the spirit, the soul or life itself
CELTIC CROSS: Circles symbolise eternity, sometimes linked with Celtic origins
CENOTAPH: Symbolic monument of mourning often associated with death in war
CHERUB: Angelic; signifies innocence
CHAINS: Chains bind the body to the soul, broken links denote severance or release CHALICE: Signifies the Catholic rite of Holy Communion. Within a circle denotes the consecrated Eucharist
CHILD SLEEPING: Victorian motif for death
CHRYSANTHEMUM: Japanese national flower
CIRCLE: Full circle symbolises eternal life with no ending. A broken circle indicates that life has ended
CLOUD: Associated with a hand from heaven. Sometimes featured with a broken chain
COAT OF ARMS: Lineage, status
COFFIN: Death and mortality
COLUMN: Free standing column symbolises the sky, God and deity in general
COLUMN (BROKEN): Often used as asymbol of a life left unfinished when cut off by death. Often decorated with laurel wreaths. Other forms are a tree without branches, a tree stump, and a tree trunk with an embedded axe
YOU ARE READING
Designing Your Character & Other Handy Things 2
RandomCharacters are hard to create. In fact, last time we all checked, books are hard to create. What's a writer to do? Don't fear, my friend. Maplefoot has got you covered. Welcome to the second edition of 'Designing Your Character & Other Handy Thi...
