Anthropological Symbols

Head §

• Head - the seat of the life force.

  • Signifies authority.
    • Hence to kowtow is to show respect by lowering one’s head (authority).
  • Skull - the impermanence of life. The pointless vanity of worldly matters.
    • Alas Poor Yorick (from Hamlet)
  • Brain - the seat of intelligence.

• Hair - shown as a symbol of strength and energy, particularly spiritual power.

  • Loose hair denotes freedom, but also wantonness. To Christians, it represents penitence.
  • Hair may also be associated with worldly vanity. Hence, monks shave their heads and monks keep them short.

• Eyes - associated with vision.

  • Associated with eternal watchfulness and vigilance.
  • The Power of Evil.
  • Wisdom and Enlightenment.
  • The Eye as the Window to the Soul

• Ears - receptiveness.

• Nose - arrogance. May be linked to the phallus.

  • Pinocchio’s nose signifies dishonesty.

• Mouth

  • Symbolizes the word and the passing of great judgment.
  • Also represents devouring.
  • Can be a door to the realm of the unconscious.

• Tongue - Associated with Flames. Gods may use it to bring creation or destruction through their words.

• Teeth

  • Beauty
  • A defensive response to a threat (i.e., baring fangs)
  • Fangs are associated with vampirism (Dracula) and danger.

Organs §

• Heart - the source of feelings and emotions. The center of thought (to Greeks) and the spiritual core (to Muslims).
  • Cupid’s Arrow and Love.
  • The Center of the Life Force. Hence its use in human sacrifice.
• Spleen - the seat of the humors. Associated with Melancholy.
• Liver - courage and filial duty.
  • To be lily-livered is to be cowardly.
• Intestines - labyrinthine nature of life. Some parts are associated with compassion.

Body and Limbs §

• Navel - the Center of the World (via the Omphalos). It connects life and death.

• Phallus - symbol of male fertility. An erect phallus is seen as a powerful symbol of renewal.

• Vulva - symbol of fertility and creation.

• Breasts - an erotic symbol. Was seen in the past as a symbol of motherhood and abundance.

• Skeleton - Death. The passing of time.

  • Ribs - the symbol of the wife born from the body of the man (according to the Bible).

• Hands - signifies blessing, justice, and authority via their gestures.

  • Holding hands is a sign of affection.
  • Healers use the hands to operate on a patient.
  • To assist someone is to give them a helping hand.

• Feet - a symbol of humility and poverty. The lowest part of the body.

• Arms - signifies action through various gestures.

  • The Arm of Justice and the Strong Arm of the Law.
  • Many armed deities represent a God with various powers.

Activities §

• Dance as movement, energy, and excitement. It is associated with pleasure, ritual, ceremonies, and festivities.

  • It touches on communing with the god, with war, death, creation, fertility, and destruction

• Drama is a symbolic portrayal of human behavior and emotions that allows the audience to confront their anxieties.

• Masks are associated with other faces. They are stylized to denote gods, characters and emotions.

• Magical symbols are associated with the unknowns of life.

  • The five pointed star as a symbol of good (when upright) or evil (when in a pentagram form)
  • The mirror of truth as a means to give divine truth and wisdom.
  • The love potion, typically made from phallic ingredients, in order to woo a love. Its counterpart is the aphrodisiac.
  • Feng Shui as a symbol of living in harmony with one’s surroundings.
  • Four leaf clovers, and horseshoes as symbols of luck.
  • Various charms and talismans for warding off evil.
  • Fairies in children’s stories are seen as symbols of good.

• Music as a symbol of the ordered pattern of the universe. It symbolizes harmony and one with nature.

  • Percussion represents divine truth, revelation and ecstasy.
    • Drums are associated with thunder and lightning.
    • They are also used to rouse people to battle.
    • They may also represent the beat of the human heart, or the beat of creation.
    • Bells symbolize a contact with earth and heaven. They also call people to prayer or signify a warning.
  • Strings are associated with the sounds of the heavens.
    • Electric guitars as archetypal symbols of youth, rebellion, and loudness.
    • Lyres are associated with calming nature. Harps are associated with sacred music.
    • Lutes are associated with purity and faithfulness.
      • Broken strings signify discord.
  • Trumpets - heralds the arrival of royalty.
    • The Seven Trumpets in the Bible herald the end of the world.
  • Flutes are associated with anguish and extreme emotions.
  • Organs are associated with service to the lord. Associated with churches and cathedrals.

• Clothing reflects the ways society regards individuals in terms of sex and status, as well as how individuals regard themselves.

  • Elaborate clothing is associated with more powerful members of society.
  • Shoe styles reflect social and cultural attitudes.
    • To remove the shoes on entering a temple is symbolic of leaving earthly matters outside as a mark of respect.
    • Glass slippers - represents the archetypal tale of Cinderella.
    • Tall shoes reflect the desire to walk tall. To dominate.
  • Clothing material denoted status.
    • Cotton as simple.
    • Fur as luxurious (or symbolic of cruel death)
    • Silk as luxury
    • Lace as privilege, associated with women.
  • Headgear denotes status and occupation.
    • Wigs signified affluence and high status.
    • The mortarboard is a symbol of erudition.
  • Corsets symbolize the way women subject themselves to pain in the pursuit of fashion.
  • Gloves are a symbol of power and careful handling.
  • Jewelry can symbolize a variety of things depending on the item in question. Typically these include fertility, luck, status, and warding of spirits.
  • Clothes used for mourning also varied. Typically these were black in color and connoted a somber form of adornment.

Architecture §

• Humankind is fascinated with tall buildings. They are associated with reaching heaven and gaining supremacy.
  • The Tower of Babel is symbolic of man’s arrogance. Destroyed by Divine Will.
• Arches, Doorways and Bridges are associated with the passage between duals — safe and unsafe. A transition from one stage to another.
• Castles symbolize territorial power and security. They also connote enchanted places guarded by inhuman things (see the Hero’s Journey .)
• Domes symbolize the heavens.
• Roofs symbolize shelter and protection.
• Walls protect but also contain. They suggest strength but also bondage.

Objects §

• Tools and weapons mirror the inner world. Generally, weapons represent power, protection, and destruction.

• In the hands of God, a weapon represents liberation from ignorance.

• Anchor - safety, stability and hope. Associated with the sea.

• Anvil - the feminine counterpart to the hammer that enables creation.

• Ax - the symbol of power, especially of sky gods. It represents authority, and punishment. Also, death by wrathful god.

• Basket - signifies fertility, and abundance.

• Book - symbols of knowledge and wisdom.

  • An open book is someone easily understood.

• Bow and Arrow - the Moon and the Arc of heaven. The Arrow represents direction.

• Box - when closed, it represents the unconscious. When opened, it mirrors Pandora’s box.

• Candle - an individual soul. The flame represents the light against ignorance.

  • An extinguished candle signifies death.

• Compass - echoes the directions of the cosmos.

• Cup - the feminine receptacle.

• Dagger - masculinity.

• Fan - high rank and royalty. A ward for evil spirits. Associated with femininity and flirtation.

• Gun - virility. Male prowess.

• Hammer - the symbol of thunder, smithing, and riches. Along with the Nail, it symbolizes the Passion of Christ

• Hourglass - gives rise to the metaphor of life being like sand ebbing away.

• Keys - give the power to open and close. Access to another realm.

• Ladder and Stairs - to climb from ignorance. Going upwards.

• Lamp - light of the spirit and wisdom.

• Lightbulb - archetypal image of a bright idea.

• Mirror - self-knowledge, truth, and clarity. Also associated with vanity.

• Net - the power of the Gods to bind humans.

• Plow - impregnation of the earth by the gods.

• Rope - bondage and captivity. Also connotes connection.

  • Noose - a symbol of death and despair.

• Scales - Justice, Judgment and Equilibrium

• Scythe - the harvesting tool signifying death — when life is cut short. Also, Liberation of the Soul.

• Shield - protection. Feminine power and chastity.

• Sickle - represents the moon, death and time. It also represents renewal of crops.

• Silver spoon - Privilege and Nurturing.

• Spear - war, power, and fertility. Overcoming of vice. It is also a symbol of the passion. Also a symbol of Earth’s axis.

• Spindle - Fate and Destiny. The Wheel represents the turning of the universe.

• Sundial - correlates the passage of time with the sun.

• Swings - associated with fertility, the ebb and flow of the sun and moon.

• Sword -power and strength.

  • A sword taken from an enemy is a symbol of victory.
  • To be given a sword is to be given authority.
  • It cuts through ignorance. It divides good from evil.

• Thread - associated with life and human destiny.

• Watch - a symbol of passing hours. A reminder of the brevity of life as time stands still for no man.

Love and Fertility §

• Fertility as a symbol. This meant the union of man and woman to create and continue humankind.

  • Sex symbols include phallic worship (associated with power) and yonic symbolism (associated with abundance and receptivity).
  • Birth as the ultimate creation.
  • Fertility and Abundance is associated with Mother Earth.

• Love as central to life. It binds people together socially and spiritually. It reflects the longing of the soul for God

  • The heart and heart shaped things are seen as symbols of love.
  • The winged heart represents the power of love to fly into the hearts of anyone.
  • A broken heart signifies a wound that has reached al the way to the heart. The ultimate pain or loss.

• Marriage is a contract uniting two families. It signifies the union of god and goddess, heaven and earth to form a complete whole.

Other §

• Money as power.

• Royalty as power that rule by divine right..

  • The Orb is symbolic of the King’s rule of the world.

  • The Throne is seen as the seat of authority.

  • The Crown symbolizes sovereignty by adorning the noblest part of the body — the head.

  • The Scepter is the phallic counterpart to the Orb.

  • The Prince is seen as the hero embodying courage and Morality.

  • The Princess is seen as embodying the highest good and beauty.

  • The Knight denotes the superior human who maintains order in the kingdom. Duty-bound and Noble.

  • The Jester is the simpleton but also the wisest member of the court. The Fool represents innocence.

  • The Palace represents the heart of the eralm.

• Dice as an archetypal image of luck and random chance.

  • “The die is cast” means that one’s fate has been decided.

• Death symbols as indicative of how a culture handles morning and fear of the unknown

  • Burying someone with goods is a sign of their prestige in life, as well as a way to give them something to accompany them on their journey.
  • The Unknown Soldier - the nameless who reminds us of the indiscriminate slaughter of war.