Thursday, September 3, 2009

Winged Sun


My husband and I were out for a Sunday drive when we came across a cemetery we'd never seen before...and trust me, we've been all over our county. We found some great symbols on stones, including the winged sun; I don't think I had seen that symbol in real life...just online.

The winged sun is used often by Pennsylvania Dutch, according to this site.

It represents resurrection, Jesus or heaven. The site I referenced says the sun often appears as a circle with a dot in the middle because that was the symbol for the sun in old almanacs. I think I can make out a dot on this one, though it is covered in lichen and therefore difficult to tell for sure.

The stones in this cemetery were really ornate and beautiful. The names were old ones, including one so beautiful I'd consider using it if we ever have a girl: Aureolia Rosalie.

I also spotted a few stones that had what looked like a small inset frame. I wonder if they are supposed to be gates, a common symbol of entrance to heaven, but they were deep, almost like they were once used to place small items inside--maybe a photo or small vase?