Sparrowhawk

On what Feddersen (F/20) describes as a “plan of the lodge in the Scottish degree” (from France) we see a bird (a dove?) in the East, a pelican in the North, a lion in the middle, an ape in the South and a fox in the west. He also says that the fox should be accompanied by a drum, the monkey with a yoke, the lion with crossed swords and the pelican with scales. That does not quite explain if the lion/crossed swords refers to a function or an element in the ritual.

Nettelbladt (Geschichte der freimaurerischen Systeme in England, Frankreich und Deutschland (1879)) describes the image above in connection with the German Strikte Observanz and calls the bird a “Sperber”, sparrowhawk. Also the ritual of the SO speaks about “sparrowhawk” which is swift and without confusion.

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