“ What are the meanings behind the carvings on the New England gravestones and in what time era were they used?”
Since I very briefly covered the history of the New England time era I now have a better understanding how old some of these gravestones are. Many of them are over 300 years old!
This week I have focused on finding the actual translations of the symbols found on New England gravestones. I found a great video that goes through an extensive list of symbols and their meanings. To watch it follow the link below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EYs5nI9bi4g
The maker of this video, "eyesofscyld", says he spends a lot of time in cemeteries because he finds them interesting and solemn. He also says, "...you begin to notice a language in the headstones beyond what is written on the epitaphs.." It is not because colonial Americans were illiterate, but because they communicated with symbols and text much like we do today.
The first symbol I want to decode is that of the "winged skull" at the top of many New England gravestones.
Another symbol I would like to cover today is the "winged cherub".
The winged cherub, or soul effigy, is the second version of the death head. As you can see it is no longer a skeleton and has hair, eyes, a nose, and a smiling mouth. One would think this change in symbols had something to do with the religious changes during The Great Awakening. However, historians have discovered that the use of the cherub does not chronologically match up with any changes in religion and that the death head was still used after the cherub was discovered. The cherub symbol represents the soul's flight to heaven.
Sources:
eyesofscyld. New England Gravestone Symbolism. YouTube. Mar 3 2013. Web. Retrieved Sept 8, 2013.
Iconography of the Gravestones. City of Boston. Web. Retrieved Sept 22, 2013.
"Some speculate that the skull symbolizes the physical death while the wings symbolize spiritual regeneration." What an awesome idea. Lately we have been reading about the transition in how an individual and society believes "death" will play out. It is interesting that even in the colonies there might have been the spread of that idea of physical death and then the continuation of biography until reincarnation. The cherub seemed interesting and I wish there was a little more discussion on it, I like that you gave a little more historical context with this one by discrediting it.
ReplyDeleteAs a historic preservation and anthropology double major I am always interested to find cultural meanings and symbolism and the role they play in different societies. I almost picked this topic just for that reason and I am glad that someone did. I am intrigued by the different ideologies that are represented by the first two symbols that you discussed. I agree that the skull could represent the death of the person beneath the gravestone and the wings the entrance into the other world. Something in my mind wants me to type the phrase "death is watching over" perhaps my mind is thinking that this symbol could also mean to some that the deceased are not always gone but always with you in some way.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the cherub was a less grotesque or scary version for those individuals less inclined to have a skull perched above their loved ones. Did you find any information in your research if this symbol was typically used on young people or children? Perhaps it was a reference to their youth? Just a thought.
I really like this topic because you never think of what gravestones really mean. When I see one in a cemetery I just imagine that it is some religious figure.
ReplyDeleteI think the winged skull represents that even though someone is gone to the afterlife, they still fly and watch over the people that they care for. I feel like the changing of the skull to the cherub is the Church trying to tone down the death scenes and have the meaning more spiritually based.