Cemetery Symbols

Draperies

Draperies are a symbol of mourning.

The Hand

The hand holding a chain with a broken link

symbolizes the death of a family member.

The Lion

The lion recalls the power of God and guards the tomb against impious visitors and evil spirits. Like other guardians, the lion's watch is as eternal as the stone or bronze in which it is depicted. These felines also recall the courage and determination of the souls which they guard: they can be said to manifest the spirit of the departed.

The Urn

Urns originated as a repository for the ashes of the dead in ancient times and are a popular symbol of mourning. Most represent an ossuary. They are often draped with a wreath or garland. A draped urn connotes death, often of an older person

Urns can also be a symbol of immortality. The storing of the vital organs was of extreme importance to the ancient Egyptians who believed that life would be restored through the vital organs placed in the urn.

Angels

Angels mean spirituality. Angels are shown in different poses with different symbolism.

• Angel with pen:   Recording for eternity
• Flying angel:   Rebirth
• Angel with trumpet:   Ressurection
• Weeping angel:   Grief
• Angel pointing upward:   Guide to heaven
• Angel with sword:   Archangel

The Sphinx

A Sphinx symbolizes one who is mysterious and hard to understand.

In Greek mythology, the sphinx was a creature with the head and breast of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle.

A daughter of Typhon and Echidna, she sat outside Thebes and asked all passersby a riddle: "Which creature in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?" She strangled anyone who couldn't answer. Oedipus solved the riddle: man, crawls on all fours as a baby then walks on two feet as an adult, and walks with a cane in old age. The Sphinx then threw herself from her high rock and died.