Tag Archives: nature

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.

A 1764 Strikte Observanz ritual refers to the sparrowhawk with skilfullness:

Q. How many allegories are presented to a Scottish Master?
A. Four. A lion, a fox, a monkey, a sparrowhawk.
Q. Do you explain?
A. A Scotchman must add to the qualities of a master, the heart of a lion, the cunning of a fox, the wit of a monkey, and the skilfulness of a sparrowhawk in execution.

Feddersen (Die Arbeitstafel in der Freimaurerei Band I (1982) F/20, P. 290). He gives as source Les Franc Maçons Ecrase’s 1717. That is actually Les francs-maçons écrasés ; suite du livre intitulé L’ordre des francs-maçons trahi from 1747.

Wolf head Dagger

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees. The image above comes from a page with what seem to be (officers) jewels, see below.

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Mountain

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees.

Here we have one section of a plate (see below). Do the first two rows show emblems of officers? The third row general Masonic symbols (perhaps referring to the first three degrees)? And the bottom row? If the image on the bottom right is the Master’s drawing board does the mountain refer to the second degree and the mountain to the first? Do all images refer to different degrees?

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Olive Branch

In the Ark Mariner degree the story of Noah and the Flood plays a big part. In the emblem above you see a rainbow coloured ribbon, a rainbow and a dove holding an olive branch. The latter was a sign for Noah that the water level was dropping and that there was land again.

Ark Mariner jewel. Year and designer unknown.

Pomegranates

In many lodges the two pillars have on top each a globe (sometimes a celestial and terrestrial globe) with network, hanging from which smaller globes which represent pomegranates. This element comes from the Bible from which more symbolism of King Solomon’s Temple comes. “And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.” (1 Kings 7:13-22).

general design (non-Masonic) found online.

Honey Bear

Jewel Große Mutterloge des Eklektischen Freimaurerbundes (‘Grand Motherlodge of the Eclectic Union of Freemasonry’). The Eklektischen Bund is a German Grand Lodge which came from a lodge chartered from England.

“Bijou Große Mutterloge des Eklektischen Freimaurerbundes”, image can (among other places) be found on www.freimaurer-wiki.de

River of Sorrow

On this tracing board for the degree of “Chevalier de l’Orient” from the Kloss/von Löwen collection you see a river filled with bones and skulls.

The Masonic museum of Riga (Latvia) holds a French symbol chart which has some similarities to the one above. Here the river of sorrow is at the bottom. The left part says “star”, and the right part “bvsanaï”. More about that below. Because the gate at the bottom says “Babilone” like the example above, the river of sorrow and the arms with swords, there is a suggestion that these two French charts refer to the same or at least similar degrees.

Nowadays in the 15th degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (“Knight of the Orient and Sword”, the name varies), you see a river with a bridge. On a French tracing board, however, the river contains skulls and bones like in the old examples.

As you may have guessed, the story here is that of the flee after the captivity of the Jews in Babylon. Apparently they were allowed to cross the bridge, because the letters L.D.P. that can sometimes be seen, mean “liberté de passage”, ‘freedom of passage’. Sometimes there are different letters on the bridge. Then they refer to the password of the degree, the word with which the Jews were allowed to cross the bridge and leave Babylon. The river is sometimes called “Euphrate”, sometimes “Staburzanai”, and there we have the explanation of a detail in the image below.

The story of the return from Babylon appears in some variations in other (historical) degrees as well.

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Dog

Below you see “First and second boards of the Elu of the Nine degree, featuring the dog. Boards from the collection of Baron von Löwen.” (1) (In the manuscript itself it says: “Elu de g. Chevalier de C.”) This 9th degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite appears to be a merge of the “Little Elu (Petit Élu) and Elu of Perignan (Élu de Pérignan), also called Elu of the Unknown (Élu de l’Inconnu).” It is probably there where the dog came from.

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