Tag Archives: weapon

Scales with Crossed Swords

Ravignat displays the image below in his translation of the “61th degree: Chevalier d’Orient – Knight of the East – Tschoudy and Bédarride”. Other images he uses, can also be found in the Fonds Gaborria, but there in the text of the 47th degree (also “Chevalier d’Orient”). The front with the lamb is in Gaborria, the backside is not. Ravignat appears to connect the scales with crossed swords with the 61th degree of Memphis Misraim.

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Man with Sword in Mouth

Ravignat has this image in the “61th Degree: Chevalier d’Orient – Knight of the East – Tschoudy and Bédarride”. I found the same image in the Fonds Gaborria, but there it is listed as the “47e degré”, but also called “Chevalier d’Orient”. In Ravignat’s translation, this is the tracing board of the degree: “in the middle a man holding in his right hand seven stars and in his mouth a two-edged sword.”

In the Kloss collection there is a document (“Chevalier d’Occident et d’Orient. Avec tableau” “17e gr. REAA. (Kl.MS:XXV.82)”, the document itself says 18º) with a very similar tableau, so the image also appears to (have) feature(d) in (proto) AASR degrees.

Gun

The 1780’ies French collection of 81 degrees that were condensed to the French Rite, contains a short text (degree) called “Les Antipodiens”. An “Antipodian” is someone from New Zealand or Australia (walking upside down from the European point of view). The degree comes with an image that includes a bow and arrows and a gun.

An arrow, a bow, a gun, to defend them [the master and two surveyors] during their work.

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Hand with Sword, Hand with Trowel

When Sanabal Hierusalem distrest,
With sharp assaultes, in Nehemias tyme,
To warre, and worke, the Jews them selves addrest
And did repaire theire walls, with stone, and lime:
One hand the swode, against the foe did shake,
The other hand, the trowel, up did take.

The image and text are from Choices of Emblemes (1586) of Geffrey Whitney (1548?-1601?). Belton and Dachez make quite something of this “Sanabal theme”. In his famous oration, Chevalier Ramsay referred to knights who rebuilt King Solomon’s Temple with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. That theme would later appear in early French ‘high degrees’, most notably the “Chevalier d’Orient”, or “Knight of the East” that is still part of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. The text also seems to be used in the Royal Arch.

Sword and Veil

A veiled sword is the emblem of Adah in the Order of the Eastern Star. More about OES here.

Fighting Sitting

A somewhat odd French 9th degree “tableau” for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. I suppose we’re looking at nine knights, but are they fighting while sitting on a chair?

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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