Gravely Speaking

The lily of the valley is not actually a lily.  It belongs in the family Asparagaceae, not Liliaceae.   In spite of that, the lily of the valley is treated much like other lilies in funerary art as a symbol of innocence.  It also symbolizes happiness, purity, and humility.

River View Cemetery, Portland, Oregon

Nearly obscured by the moss hanging on this tombstone is the  crown in the center of the cross.  The crown is a symbol of glory and reward and victory over death.  The epitaph on this memorial to prebyterian ministers makes it clear the reward comes after life and the hard-fought battle on Earth against the wages of sin and the temptations of the flesh.  The reward awaits in Heaven where the victor will receive a crown of victory.

   I have fought

a good fight.  I

have finished my

course.  I have

kept the faith.

     Henceforth,

there is laid up

for me a crown

of righteousness.

The finger pointing upward, indicates the soul traveling to Heaven, sometimes a presumptuous claim, though a hopeful one. The finger pointing upwards can be coupled with other symbols:

• a willow tree, a traditional symbol of sorrow indicating while the soul of their loved one has gone to Heaven, the family on Earth mourns the loss and grieves for their loved one
• the crown symbolizing victory. Sometimes the combination of the images represent the flight of the soul from the earthly realm to the Heavenly realm

In this case, the finger pointing upward is pointing to an open book, most likely respresenting the Holy Bible.  On this gravestone, the finger suggests that the Word is the pathway to Heaven.  The finger pointing upward and the open Bible is enveloped in a heart suggesting love for the departed woman.

River View Cemetery, Seattle, Washington

River View Cemetery, Seattle, Washington

CHARLIE            BERTIE

There  like an Eden blos-

soming in gladness

Bloom the fair flowers the

earth too rudly prized.

This gravestone displays twin lambs facing each other over the names of the twin brothers whose graves the tombstone marks.

The lamb is the symbol of the Lord, the Good Shepherd.  It also represents innocence, likely the reason why this motif usually adorns the tombstones of infants and young children, as in this case.  Most often the lamb is lying down, often asleep and sometimes with a cross behind the lamb.

The all-seeing eye of God, also called the Eye of Providence is one of many symbols of Masonic iconography.  This symbol is to remind Masons that all of their actions and deeds are being observed by the watchful eye of the Great Architect of the Universe.  Sometimes the eye is displayed in a triangle.

The all-seeing eye of God is part of the symbolism of the reverse of the Great Seal of America.  The eye is displayed above the pyramid (check it out on the reverse side of a one dollar bill).  Many conspiracy theorists, mistakenly believe that this is proof of the connection between the Masons and the founding of our nation.  After all founding fathers Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were both Masons.  The all-seeing eye of God, however, was not adopted by the Masons as a symbol for use by the society until 14 years after the Great Seal was designed and adopted.

River View Cemetery, Portland, Oregon

In the cemetery, much of the iconography represents a life ended—the winged death’s head, the hanging bud, the broken wheel, the incomplete circle, the column that is broken.

The gravestone below has a broken chain that wraps around the pedestal base of the column.  Like much of the funerary art, the broken link of a chain, too, represents the life that was ended.

This symbolism dates back to Medieval times when people believed that the soul could be held to the body by a golden chain. Once the chain was broken, the soul took flight and rose from the body leaving Earth and ascended to Heaven.

River View Cemetery, Portland, Oregon