Cemeteries & Symbolism

Understanding Cemetery Symbols by Tui Snider

[The following is an adapted excerpt from my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. I hope you enjoy it! Also, full disclosure: that’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy my book after clicking it, I make a few pennies at no additional cost to you.]

Live long and prosper?

Cohen Hands a.k.a. Hands of Kohanim

When you see “Spock hands” on a tomb, you are actually looking at “Cohen hands,” which may also be referred to as the “Hands of Kohanim.” This hand gesture signifies that the deceased is a Jewish person who descended from the priestly Tribe of Cohen.

Incidentally, Cohen descendants are forbidden from attending funerals, except in the case of their relatives and closest friends.

Want to learn more about cemetery symbols?

BLOG POSTS: Click here to read a whole bunch more blog posts about historic graveyards and cemetery symbols. I’m constantly adding new content here!

READ MY BOOK: Check out my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form.

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Understanding Cemetery Symbols by Tui Snider

[The following is an adapted excerpt from my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. I hope you enjoy it! Also, full disclosure: that’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy my book after clicking it, I make a few pennies at no additional cost to you.]

What are Grave Goods?

When people visit cemeteries, they often leave items at gravesites such as coins, pebbles, seashells, decorations and items called “grave goods.”

Two kinds of grave goods

Items left at a gravesite that once belonged to the deceased or that are associated with the deceased, are called “grave goods.” Grave goods may either be left on top of the gravesite or buried with the deceased.

 

An example of both

The famous rocker, Dimebag Darrell, offers a good example for both types of grave goods. Not only is he buried in a KISS casket with one of Eddie Van Halen’s bumblebee guitars, but visitors often leave little bottles of booze on top of his grave as a tribute to his hard-partying rock and roll lifestyle.

Grave decorations vs Grave goods

Grave decorations, on the other hand, are items meant to beautify a gravesite. In modern cemeteries, I often see solar powered lights, colorful pinwheels and wind chimes as grave decorations. Up until the 1930’s grave goods were a common sight throughout the US.

Some cemeteries don’t allow grave goods

After the Great Depression, perpetual care became the norm for modern American cemeteries. Cemetery organizations became much more strict about the types of grave goods they will allow. Even so, the practice continues to this day.

There’s  more to the topic of grave goods, but this is enough for one blog post, don’t you think? I’ll go into more detail another time. Have you seen grave goods in your neck of the woods? What sorts of things do you see in the cemeteries near you?

Want to learn more about cemetery symbols?

BLOG POSTS: Click here to read a whole bunch more blog posts about historic graveyards and cemetery symbols. I’m constantly adding new content here!

READ MY BOOK: Check out my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form.

Want a FREE Guide to Historic Cemeteries?

Sign up below to grab your FREE Cemetery Symbolism Guide:

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Understanding Cemetery Symbols by Tui Snider

[The following is an adapted excerpt from my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. I hope you enjoy it! Also, full disclosure: that’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy my book after clicking it, I make a few pennies at no additional cost to you.]

How symbols evolve: from skulls to cherubs

Just like other symbols, the meaning of skulls depends upon its context in time, place, and religious belief. Skulls, or a skull and crossbones, are frequently seen on early American headstones. In the 16th and 17th century, skulls and other mortality symbols served to remind the living of the fleetness of life, and served as a stern remind that they had better behave while they were alive.

Symbolic meanings evolve

In the 21st century, however, skulls often have a different connotation. For instance, I once toured London’s Highgate Cemetery with a group of people that included members of a motorcycle club. As the tour guide pointed out various mortality symbols in the cemetery, I was struck by how many of the bikers in our tour had skulls on their clothing. Today, skulls aren’t simply a mortality symbol; they also convey a sense of machismo and the idea that someone is a daredevil.

Bikers vs Pilgrims

On the other hand, America’s Puritans certainly weren’t trying to be macho or impress us by how tough they were. They lived in a time and place when simply trying to make it from one day to the next was challenging enough.

As the Puritans’ grim outlook on life began to ease its grip on America’s psyche, the imagery used on tombstones began changing, too. By the 1690’s, skulls were gradually displaced by a human face with wings. Sometimes called “soul effigies,” these winged faces were not meant to be an accurate representation of any particular person. Instead, they symbolize the soul’s flight to Heaven.

Victorian cherubs

By the Victorian Era, soul effigies were eclipsed by children’s faces with wings, as well as sweet-faced cherubs and winged toddlers. That’s all for now, but there is so much more we could explore. It really is fascinating to learn about the symbolism behind hands, hearts, and other body parts in historic graveyards!

Want to learn more about cemetery symbols?

BLOG POSTS: Click here to read a whole bunch more blog posts about historic graveyards and cemetery symbols. I’m constantly adding new content here!

READ MY BOOK: Check out my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form.

Want a FREE Guide to Historic Cemeteries?

Sign up below to grab your FREE Cemetery Symbolism Guide:

Email:

We respect your email privacy

 

Understanding Cemetery Symbols by Tui Snider

[The following is an adapted excerpt from my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. I hope you enjoy it! Also, full disclosure: that’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy my book after clicking it, I make a few pennies at no additional cost to you.]

What do Doves symbolize?

DOVES: In general, when you see dove depicted on headstones in historic cemeteries, they represent innocence, peace, and/ or the Holy Spirit. The meaning of a particular dove varies slightly, however, depending on what it is doing:

DOVE FLYING UPWARDS: Stands for the soul’s ascent to Heaven.

DOVE FLYING DOWNWARDS: When a dove is shown flying downwards, it refers to the Holy Spirit arriving at Christ’s baptism.

SEVEN DOVES: A flurry of seven doves on a tombstone represents the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, wonder and piety.

 

DOVE WITH OLIVE BRANCH:Once again the dove represents the Holy Spirit. Ancient Greeks believed that an olive branch could dispel evil spirits, and over time that came to symbolize peace.

DOVE HOLDING A GLOBE: If the dove holds the earth in its beak, it’s associated with the 4th degree ranking in the Knights of Columbus fraternal organization.

DOVE WITH BROKEN WING: I find this to be such a heartbreaking cemetery symbol! Usually seen on the grave of a young child, with the dove as a symbol of innocence.

DOVE WITH MAIL IN ITS BEAK: It’s not a common sight, but when you see the engraving of a dove with a letter in its mouth, it refers to the carrier pigeons that some young lovers used to exchange messages back in the Victorian Era.

Want to learn more about cemetery symbols?

BLOG POSTS: Click here to read a whole bunch more blog posts about historic graveyards and cemetery symbols. I’m constantly adding new content here!

READ MY BOOK: Check out my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form.

Want a FREE Guide to Historic Cemeteries?

Sign up below to grab your FREE Cemetery Symbolism Guide:

Email:

We respect your email privacy

 

Understanding Cemetery Symbols by Tui Snider

[The following is an adapted excerpt from my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. I hope you enjoy it! Also, full disclosure: that’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy my book after clicking it, I make a few pennies at no additional cost to you.]

Coins on Graves?

The practice of leaving coins with the deceased dates back to the ancient Greeks, who believed the rivers Styx and Acheron separated the living from the dead. A ferry trip was required to cross these waters, otherwise the soul of the deceased would be forced to wander the river banks for 100 years.

Ancient Greek tradition still practiced today

To avoid this, ancient Greeks placed a coin in the mouths of their dead as a way to pay Charon. (Charon was what they called the mythical ferryman who navigated the boundary between living and dead.)

These days, coins may be found on just about anyone’s grave, but I see them most often on the graves of historic figures, especially criminals, such as the notorious “Machine Gun Kelley.” Perhaps, even now, we worry that criminals and outcasts may need assistance in the afterlife. That said, the main purpose for leaving coins on a grave simply appears to be a way of letting others know this person is still remembered.

A modern urban legend about coins on graves:

A modern urban legend, however, one that first began circulating the internet around 2009, claims that when coins are seen on military headstones, the different denominations mean very specific things – not just remembrance. A quarter, for instance, allegedly means you served in the same unit as the deceased, or (according to another online source) a quarter means you were present when the deceased lost his life.

While researching Understanding Cemetery Symbols, however, I was unable to find any reference to the origins of this practice. I finally turned to snopes.com, a website that specializes in alerting people to urban legends, to help me sort things out. Turns out that this is a modern myth.

Of course, you still may find coins on a military headstone, just as you may find them on anybody’s headstone. I merely want to clarify that the practice of having different coins to signify specific things on military headstones is a recent idea and not a longstanding practice. That said, items ranging from stuffed animals and photographs to military medals and coins frequently appear in American military cemeteries.

Military challenge coins, on the other hand…

While that whole urban legend is one thing, there actually is something called a “challenge coin” that may be left by military personnel on a headstone. Challenge coins are non-monetary metal tokens that some military units provide in order to promote morale. These tokens may be inscribed with a soldier’s unit or other identifying information. Like other grave goods, a challenge coin may be left on a military headstone.

Want to learn more about cemetery symbols?

BLOG POSTS: Click here to read a whole bunch more blog posts about historic graveyards and cemetery symbols. I’m constantly adding new content here!

READ MY BOOK: Check out my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form.

Want a FREE Guide to Historic Cemeteries?

Sign up below to grab your FREE Cemetery Symbolism Guide:

Email:

We respect your email privacy