A variant of the wand or staff is the Thyrsus of Bacchus, which takes different forms, the early examples being a plain staff entwined with ivy leaves, though later vine leaves were substituted. It also appears in the form of a pine cone impaled on a spear, which may be in allusion to the Greek custom of mixing the juice of the pine or fir (turpentine) with the new wine to make it keep. It has also been attributed to a strategy of war, when Bacchus made a successful advance by the ruse of concealing his followers with branches, as in the example of Shakespeare’s Macduff. The pine cone being suggestive of a night attack or that the Bacchanalian festivities took place at night. _The Trident_ The Trident of Neptune, and the Paddle or Rudder of Triton are also variants of the wand as symbols of authority, and in their separate use, are sufficient to indicate Sea or Ocean. _The Cross_ Though the Cross was adopted by the early Christians, like the nimbus it was employed in more remote times. In Carthage it was used for ornamental purposes, but with the Egyptians, it was regarded as a sacred symbol. It also occurred in Greek sculpture on a circle, when it symbolised the four cardinal points. Surmounted by a circle in the form known as the Crux Ansata, it was sacred to Isis, and stood as an emblem of immortality and life generally. There are various forms of the cross in Christian art, the Greek cross with four equal arms, signifies the blessing which the great Sacrifice extends equally over the four quarters of the world. The Latin cross, in which the shaft is longer than the upper arm, sometimes has three steps which signify the triple foundations of Faith, Hope and Charity; the last being the lowest as the foundation of all Christian virtues. The Latin cross is sometimes furnished with two transverse arms, when it is known as the Ecclesiastical cross, used by Cardinals and Bishops at Rome. The cross of the Pope has three transverse arms. The Cross of St. Andrew, or cross saltire, is in the shape of the letter X, and is used as a symbol of martyrdom. The Tau Cross in the shape of the letter T--frequently used in Byzantine representations of the Crucifixion, is that on which the Brazen Serpent was uplifted; and was also the sign marked on the door-posts at the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb of the Exodus. The Cross with the arms bearing leaves or blossom, is symbolical of the triumph of Christianity over sin and persecution. Occasionally it takes the form of a spreading tree. When five red marks or jewels are placed in the centre and extremities they are emblematic of the five wounds. In Christian art the cross is the symbol of Christ, either in the simple form, or as a crucifix, which in the early renderings was more suggestive of voluntary sacrifice. The realistic treatment of physical suffering belongs to a later period.