Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism: With an Essay on Baal Worship, on the Assyrian Sacred "Grove," and Other Allied SymbolsInman, Thomas
Religion
Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism: With an Essay on Baal Worship, on the Assyrian Sacred "Grove," and Other Allied Symbols
Inman, Thomas
Christian art and symbolism; Symbolism
Figures 139 to 158 are copied from Moor's Hindu Pantheon; they are
sectarial marks in India, and are usually traced on the forehead. Many
resemble what are known as "mason's marks," i. e., designs found on
tooled stones, in various ancient edifices, like our own, "trade marks."
They are introduced here to illustrate the various designs employed to
indicate the union of the "trinity" with the "unity," and the numerous
forms representative of "la nature" A priori, it appears absurd to
suppose that the eye could ever have been symbolical of anything but
sight; but the mythos of Indra, given in Ancient Faiths, second edition,
Vol. n., p. 649, and p. 7 supra, proves that it has another and a hidden
meaning. These figures are alike emblematic of the "trinity," "the
virgin," and the "four." Figure 154 is from Pugin, plate v., figure 3.
It is the outline of a pectoral ornament worn by some Roman ecclesiastic
in Italy, a. d. 1400; it represents the Egyptian crux ansata under
another form, the T signifying the triad.
Figures 155, 156, are different forms of the sistrum, one of the emblems
of Isis. In the latter, the triple bars have one signification, which
will readily suggest itself to those who know the meaning of the triad.
In the former, the emblem of the trinity, which we have been obliged to
conventionalise, is shown in a distinct manner. The cross bars indicate
that Isis is a virgin. The cat at the top of the instrument indicates
"desire," Cupid, or Eros. Fig. 155 is copied from plate ix., R. P.
Knight's Worship of Priapus.
Figure 157 represents the cup and wafer, to be found in the hands of
many effigies of papal bishops; they are alike symbolic of the sun and
moon, and of the elements in the Eucharist. See Pugin, plate iv., figs.
5, 6, represents a temple in a conventional form; whilst below, Ceres
appears seated within a horse-shoe shaped ornament.
This, amongst other symbols, tends to show what we have so frequently
before observed, that the female in creation is characterised by a great
variety of designs, of which the succeeding woodcuts give us additional
evidence.
Figure 159 represents the various forms symbolic of Juno, Isis, Parvati,
Ishtar, Mary, or woman, or the virgin.
Figures 160, 161, 162, are copied from Audsley's Christian Symbolism
(London, 1868). They are ornaments worn by the Virgin Mary, and
represent her as the crescent moon, conjoined with the cross (in
Fig. 160), with the collar of Isis (in Fig. 161), and with the double
triangle (in Fig. 162).
Figure 163 represents a tortoise. When one sees a resemblance between
this creature's head and neck and the linga, one can understand why both
in India and in Greece the animal should be regarded as sacred to the
goddess personifying the female creator, and why in Hindoo myths it is
said to support the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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