According to Christian legend, sulfur is associated with HELL and the Devil (Cooper, 1978), and is often referred to as brimstone.

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With light, the shadow is the Chinese yin and yang; shadows are often identified with a person's soul, and they are considered "dark entities with a nature all of their own" (Biederman, 303). From a Jungian perspective, shadows are the unconscious layers of the personality that are integrated into the structure of the "experienced world" only through the process of individuation.

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Sun

The sun is the absolute cosmic power; it is the universal FATHER, while the MOON is the universal MOTHER; it is often symbolized by the WHEEL or the disk, a CIRCLE or a BALL; it is the center of being and intuition, it is knowledge and warmth, glory and splendour.


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Ship

Ship are generally larger than boats, but share many of the same meanings. They can be solar or lunar, carrying these two celestial bodies across the seas. With their close connection to WATER, ships often bear signifigance as fertility symbols, and are linked to the Great Mother. The Christian church is sometimes referred to as a ship or the ARK, with the mast of the ship being the CROSS.

(Related entries: BOAT, OCEAN, SEA, WATER).


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When opposed with GOLD (masculine), Silver is usually feminine. Silver often represents the moon, virginity, purity, the QUEEN. The culmination of these symbols can be seen in the Greek goddess Artemis, twin sister of Apollo, the SUN God. She was one of the few virgin goddesses, the moon was her symbol, and she hunted with silver bow and arrows.


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Star

The star is the "presence of the divinity" (Cooper, 159); it is hope, the EYES of the NIGHT. It is a symbol of constancy.


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The square is the EARTH, as opposed to the heavens; it is geometric perfection, static, denoting honesty and straightforwardness, morality and integrity.


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"The spider's symbolism is partly related to the Greek myth of Arachne, who challenged Athene, Zeus' daughter, to a weaving contest, and hanged herself when the goddess destroyed her WEB. Athene then changed her into a spider, condemned for eternity to hang at the end of her THREAD: an example of the danger of excessive ambition. The Jungian interpretation of the spider, motionless in the centre of its web and repellant to most people, is that it is a symbol of anguish and associated with narcissism" (Julien, 396). The spider can also be linked to warious MOON goddesses and the Great MOTHER in the fact that they are all weavers and creators.


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The dragon is a highly complex symbol, combining images of the serpent and the bird, two loaded images in isolation. Together, they form one of the most powerful monsters dating back to antiquity. The dragon is a symbol of evil, in both the chivalric and Christian traditions. In the Orient, it symbolizes supernatural power, wisdom, strength, and hidden knowledge. In most traditions, it is the embodiment of chaos and untamed nature. It is associated with the depths of the unknown sea, with the mountaintops, and with the clouds. Heroes typically fight ("slay") dragons to gain control over territory; dragons are also usually guardians of a treasure,whether it be material (as in GOLD) or symbolic (as in knowledge). Killing the dragon is the conflict between light and darkness, slaying the forces of evil.

It has many correspondences: in psychology it is a fear of incest, or the chaos of the unconscious, evil. In ALCHEMY it relates as one of the many names of prime matter. In Blake it represents sex and war, and in Yeats it is a guardian of life. Dragon blood is a talisman, ensuring good fortune, health and luck, can inflict incurable wounds if weapons are dipped in it.

Click the dragon above to return to the painting of St. George and the Dragon, or click here to learn more about Visual Symbolism.

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Door

Transition and metamorphosis are the most common ideas represented by the symbol of the door; it is a passage from one place to another, between different states, between lightness and darkness. According to Julien, the act of passing over the threshold signifies that one must leave behind his materialism and personality to confront inner silence and meditation. It is abandoning the old and embracing the new; an open door signifies welcome and invites discovery and investigation, while a closed door represents rejection, protection, secrecy, exclusion, and imprisonment. Is a feminine symbol in connection with the hole that it leads to, the vagina; the antithesis of the wall.

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Its incomparable hardness makes this precious stone an appropriate symbol for durability and constancy; its clarity yields the notions of constancy, sincerity, and innocence. The diamond is LIGHT, life, the SUN; it is an emblem of purity and perfection, of invincible spiritual power, and it is the stone of committment, faithfulness, and promise between husband and wife. Symbol of light and brilliance; unconquerable; treasures, riches, intellectual knowledge.

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Knot

The knot may bind or loosen, and it represents continuity, connection, and fate. When undone, the knot signifies freedom. Knot imagery is often associated with magic spells and preventative charms, and is one of the fundamental icons in Buddhism as it represents long life and happiness in the form of the eternal knot. Love and marriage; "tying the knot". Difficulty and entanglement. Heavily connected with the number eight because of its curves and twists and circuity. Usually a slip-knot represents being hung, and carries criminal associations.


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Key

The key is the mechanism of the powers of opening and closing, and denotes liberation, knowledge, mystery, and initiation. SILVER keys usually refer to temporal power, while GOLD ones refer to spiritual power. In Christianity, it is the emblem of St Peter as the guardian of the GATE of HEAVEN, and the key may either confine or release. In addition, elements of secrecy and discretion coincide. Many Christian connections, the key to heaven, power to absolve sin, sign of fidelity, faith. When paired with a male dove, is the spirit opening the gates of heaven. Key hole is a vulva, phallic when key is placed inside.


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Knife

It is a tool with loaded symbolic meaning; the knife signifies severence, death, sacrifice, division, or liberation. In Buddhism, cutting with a knife represents deliverance, as in cutting the bonds of ignorance. In Christianity, it represents martyrdom. A base, secret weapon. Connotes revenge and sudden defense, often hidden, concealed. Psychology refers to it as the instinctive forces of man. Often related to TEETH in literature.

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The feather is absolute lightness, flight, the element of WIND and AIR. To wear feathers is to assume the powers of the bird, and thus puts the wearer in touch with the knowledge of the BIRD. Can also mean emptiness, dryness, height, flight, soul/heart, charity, faith and justice. Three feathers often connotes power, divinity and Light. Crimson feathers are normally associated with fairies. A feather crown is a halo.

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Although they are not typically considered symbols in and of themselves, fairy tales are "treasure troves for the symbologist" (Biederman, 124). Thus, they will be included, due to their absolute pertinence in the analysis of fantasy literature. The entry in Biederman's Dictionary of Symbolism states that, " 'Research into fairy-tale motifs must begin with the precise investigation of variants, going beyond the narrower confines of the genre. We must seek out the origins--e.g., Greek and Christian elements in the German fairy tales... We can arrive at an interpretation only with help from every possible discipline--specialized narratology, folklore, history of religion, legal history, and so on and on' [E. Horandner, quoted by Lurker, 1979] . [Jungian analysis believes] in the existence of archetypes..."


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Faust

Johann Faust is the symbol of the relentless pursuit of knowledge; he was a wandering German conjurer, depicted in several different lights within different works of literature. In Marlowe's Dr. Faustus, Faust has mastered all known sciences and decides to master the super natural; he conjures Mephistopheles, his doppelganger. In this work, he was simply a man who made a pact with the devil. This legend is an example of the popular distrust of scholars who knew of foreign subjects; to the "common man", the only manner in which this could be accomplished was through association with the devil himself.


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Air

Air is traditionally seen as one of the FOUR ELEMENTS, and along with fire is considered active and male.. In this respect it is represented by the arc or the circle, and the colors BLUE or GOLD. It is light, mobile, and has the quality of dryness. Being that which we breathe, it is essential to life and can be thought of as the primary element. The Greek spiro means "breath," from this we get inspiration, as if the gods were filling us with the divine breath. Also connected with stormy wind (creation) and a medium for movement. Nietzsche thought of air as human freedom, cold and aggressive. Bachelard relates its scent to memory. Often fresh night air is a sign of danger.

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Fire

Fire consumes, warms, and illuminates, but can also bring pain and death; thus, its symbolic meaning varies wildly, depending upon the context of its use. It is often the symbol of inspiration, and yet it is also the predominant symbol of HELL; fire is the only one of the "FOUR ELEMENTS" that humans can produce themselves, so it bridges the connection between mortals and gods. Rituals often involve an eternal flame, and kindling a fire is equated with birth and resurrection. Can be spiritual enlightenment, sexuality - "light my fire" and fertility.

Fire can also be seen as a force of purification (Cooper, 1978). In a more modern context, forest fires, while looked upon as destructive and costly by modern society (and especially by the various media), are actually, from a scientific and ecological point of view quite positive as a mode of purification -- old growth that is burned away makes way for new growth to begin, and the entire ecosystem is rejuvenated.

Fire is viewed by Christians, the Chinese, and the Hebrews as being a symbol of divinity (Cooper, 1978). In Christianity, fire can also be symbolic of religious zeal and martyrdom. In Egypt it represents a sense of superiority and control. Many cultures view fire as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.

Freud saw fire as an aspect of the libido (sex drive) representing forbidden passions, but it is also seen in psychology as destruction and regeneration and as a mediator between vanishing and appearing forms.

(Related entry: FLAME, FOUR ELEMENTS).

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Foot

Usually ambivalent. Direct contact with mother earth. Is phallic with the shoe as the vulva and the foot itself as a euphemism for genitals. Can connote dying, passing on as well as slow wandering. Bare feet is a sign of mourning and respect. Footprints have high relation to black magic - fairies have no footprints. Can also bring luck and prosperity.

"In old customs an in art, footprints and worn-out shoes smbolized real presence. [The foot] is also an infantile phallic symbol: in the story of Cinderella, the slipper is a female symbol and the foot a phallic one. Feet are points of contact with the ground, good conductors of the magical or spiritual fluid with which a holy man is charged and which would disappear if in contact iwth the ground" (Julien, 163).


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Forty

The religious implications of the number forty are extensive. In Christianity, there are forty days of Lent, from Christ's forty days in the wilderness; forty days of resurrection, from Easter to Ascension. In the Old Testament, there are forty days of Moses on Mt. Sinai, and forty days of Elijah in hiding. There are forty days of the Deluge, and forty years of the Jews wandering in the wilderness. In pregnancy, movement in the womb after forty days means a boy. Purification - the flood was caused by forty days of rain. Jacob's embalming and mourning took forty days. Moses' life was divided into three periods of forty years.


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Fog

Fog illustrates obscurity, indistinction; in the Bible, it is an image preceding great revelations. It is the "GRAY zone" between reality and unreality, and uncertainty about the future and beyond. According to Browning it can represent approaching death. Isolation. A transformation into the unreal.

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The flower and the blossom are both universal symbols of young life. Flowers are associated with the SUN, because the arrangement of its petals is reminiscent of the shape of a STAR; they may be innocent representatives of spring, or they may designate lust and the realm of the erotic. They are transitory, evoking a certain "joie de vivre," or an understanding of the fragile quality of childhood. The flower is often a representative of beauty. The color of the flower often has a great deal to do with the symbolism it carries; red is love and passion, white is innocence and blamelessness.

Virtue, goodness and purity are three widely associated traits. However, it can be temptation as well: proverb "Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't." Love, especially feminine, with the vulva and virginity - a girl is deflowered when she loses her virginity. Scattered flowers often mean joy, especially in context with rosebearers of a wedding.

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Five

The number five is exceedingly important in terms of its symbolic qualities. It represents human perfection, because a man with outstretched arms and legs forms a pentagon with the head "dominating the four limbs, just as the spirit commands the quaternary of elements" (Julien, 155). There are five senses, five fingers per hand and five toes per foot; the five-pointed star, pointing upwards, symbolizes individuality and spiritual aspiration. When it points downwards, it represents witchcraft and black magic.

Has much Christian meaning as well: five wounds, letters of Jesus, desire, faith, hope, humility and love. In nature it is the four cardinal directions plus the middle. Can mean spring and growth in nature as well. In relation to the planets: Mercury - water, Venus - metal, Mars - fire, Jupiter - vegetable, Saturn - earth.

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The toadstool versions are hallucinogenic, and they are usually considered symbols of good fortune; mushrooms also represent rapid growth, due to this unusual physical characteristic.

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Prayer often denotes humility, humbling oneself before a higher power, a request for divine intervention, and/or repentance. It can also represent an immersion of self in the spirit; group prayer may indicate the absorption of oneself into a larger whole.

(Related entries: SONG, DANCE).

Click on the image above to return to the painting of Saint George and the Dragon, or click here to learn more about Visual Symbolism.

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Purple is derived from the combination of RED and BLUE, it unites red's fiery masculinity with blue's cool femininity. Purple is often used to represent royalty, imperial power, justice, and/or truth. Christian references to the color link it with God the Father and royal power. Dried blood has a purple hue to it, and bruises on the flesh are often purple, in this respect it can be a sign of physical injury.

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Ocean

The ocean is the beginning of life on Earth, and symbolizes formlessness, the unfathomable, and chaos. The ocean can also be seen as a symbol of stability, as it can exist largely unchanged for centuries. The ocean is considered to be boundless, a place where one can easily be lost, and can therefore be seen to represent the boundless span of life, and the way one can get lost on the journey through life.

(Related entries: BOAT, SEA, TSUNAMI)

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Oven

Like so many symbols, the oven is yet another manifestation of the female WOMB, yet it also represents the ideas associated with the HEARTH. It is domesticated FIRE, and in fairy tales such as the Grimms Brothers Hansel and Gretl the oven may be interpreted as the stake at which witches were once burned to erase all physical traces of their existence.


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The oyster provides yet another symbol of the female WOMB, and the creative force of the feminine principle, widely recognized for its production of the PEARL.

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Like many fruits, the orange has become predominantly a symbol of fertility; if it is depicted in Paradise, it is the fruit of the Fall, occasionally replacing the APPLE as the Forbidden fruit. As a color, orange is most often linked to FLAME and FIRE, conveying thier qualities. Orange can also mean luxury.

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Man

"The myth of cosmic man was used in all traditional civilizations to represent universal life. [Man was portrayed as] carrying the universe (like Atlas in the Greek legend), as a cosmic pillar, supporting HEAVEN and EARTH" (Julien, 254). Man is a microcosm, a reflection of the universe. Man himself is symbolized by that which is phallic; the dart, SWORD, ARROW, PILLAR, obelisk, or the TORCH often represent man.

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One

The most appropriate symbol of unity is the imperceptible mathematical point which is arbitrarily situated at the intersection of two lines or in the centre of a CIRCLE, and which, through being displaced in space, begins a line, or creates a surface, or gives an idea of a third dimension. A point is ONE on the verge of generating everything. The number 1 symbolizes MAN, erect, a standing stone, phallus, PILLAR, a vertical stick (Julien, 303).

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Oak

Oak is usually thought of as masculine, strength, protection, durability, and/or the human body. It is commonly associated with thunder gods (Thor in Norse mythology, Zeus/Jupiter in Greek/Roman myth, etc...) and thus is often symbolic of THUNDER and LIGHTNING. Christian tradition links the oak to Christ, as epitomizing his strength and resilliency. It is also connected with the CROSS, along with Holly and Aspen.

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Rain

Depending upon its level of intensity, rain may either serve as life-giving or life-destroying. It is revitalizing, fertilizing, and heavenly, and often marks acts of purification.


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The rabbit is associated with such lunar figures as the MOON Goddesses and the Earth Mother. Because of its rapid reproduction rate it often symbolizes fertility and lust.


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Rope

The rope may be considered to represent binding and limiting or infinite freedom, depending upon the context in which it is encountered.


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Ring

The ring is a tangible manifestation of the CIRCLE; it represents infinity and eternity, divinity and life. The ring also represents power, dignity, sovreignty, and strength. Thus, to bestow a ring is to indicate a transferrence of power. As is exemplified by the traditional wedding ring, the object is also binding, as with husband and wife, or as a spiritual union with the Church itself.


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