| | Masonic symbols freak people out. But most of the symbols attributed to Masonry aren't Masonic at all. They are, in fact, taken from the common "language" of heraldry that was well-understood throughout the Middle Ages and up through Colonial America. A great number of people remained illiterate, and so symbols or icons (such as the All-Seeing Eye of Providence so common in Church art) expressed ideas, morals, or stories familiar to even the most unlettered child.
See, for example, the Great Seal of the United States, which has provided ample fodder for conspiracy theorists, the tin-hat brigade, and other assorted loony toons. It's not Masonic -- at all. It contains no "secret" meanings. In fact, every aspect of its symbolism is expressly meant not to obscure meaning, but to convey to the viewer a rich font of information. You just have to be fluent in symbolism.
So, if there used to be a common heraldic language of universally understood symbols, both in America and in Europe, where can we turn for their meaning? Well, it ends up that during the time of the Founding Fathers, the final authority in heraldic symbolism was a book entitled Iconologia: Or, Moral Emblems by Ceasare Ripa. A quick search on Amazon will show you that the cheapest extant copy of this book runs around 150 smackeroos. (Or $40-odd, if you don't mind it in German.)
Thankfully, I have at my disposal the vast resources of a hydra-like organization committed to conquering the world! I speak, of course, of Dear Old State.  They have reproduced, online, every single page from Ripa's Iconologia, complete with explanations. You can even shortcut to the text blurb by clicking on a given picture. I do so love my alma mater. 
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| | Posted 7/7/2009 11:33 AM - 7 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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