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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
Once again to the 'pineapple'......Fearn mentioned what type fruit might have been presumed by the Freemasons to be on the Tree of Life  .......I looked in "Herders Dictionary of Symbolism" (1978), and there was the pine cone!
It is noted that the pinecone crowned the Tree of Life in many Christian representations, and represented power and justice (p.191). What better pommel to associate with the 'Flaming Sword' which stood at the Gates of Paradise in guard of the Tree. The illustration shown in the book of the cone of course looked remarkably like our pommel!
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All best regards,
Jim |
Hi Jim
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the pine cone does seem very likely......I had 'dismissed' the idea previously (and came up with Raspberry
) as the leaves of the pine are 'needles' and totally different to those 'portrayed' on the pommel.
Following on from your excellent post I found further 'evidence' that there are other symbolic elements that seem to be displayed on the hilt. Firstly the use of a pine cone type fruit has been associated with the 'tree of life' since Ancient times (Sumerians, Babylonians etc.)
".... The Tree (of life) always has fruit or foliage. The fruit is usually rather large and plump and sometimes looking like a pine cone . The fruit as a pine cone was its most popular depiction even unto the Greeks and Romans....."
Also mentioned is the 'rosette' another symbolic motif, the guard seems to exhibit this...
".....Then we have the rosette. It too is a symbol connected to the Tree of Life. It has eight spoke-like leaves just like the symbol for the sun god Shamash....."
The crosses do not exactly match the more common Maltese styled cross often associated with 'Freemasonry' ... but during the time that the hilt was manufactured ... perhaps it was.
It is also stated that a snake (or dragon, which is considered 'serpentine') resides near the tree of life......perhaps, there is a possibility that the blade symbolises this
http://firstlegend.info/3rivers/3rivervalley.html
As to the functionality of the blade ..... it would be nice to be able to handle the sword in question to ascertain its characteristics ....the blade edges are described as sharp ...which does suggest its for use rather than show. As to its strength... the serpentine blade would have less flex than suggested by Fearn, I'm thinking about the comparison between , say a 'flat' sheet of steel and a corregated sheet of the same material. Fearn is right , in that the tip is not in direct alignment with the centre of the hilt. It is also 'rounded'....However there is a possibility that the tip was damaged and the 'end' of the blade reworked.
Functionality does not always equate to 'effectiveness' ....that is why blade designs 'come and go'. As Rapiers were generally civilian defensive weapons, less effective designs may have 'survived' momentarily due to the 'wow' factor. I would imagine that many 'gentlemen' that carried a Rapier ...never actually used them ....perhaps the 'threat' was more than enough to discourage 'trouble' from the 'lower' (poorly armed) classes whilst walking the streets.
This has been a very interesting thread mainly due to the excellent information from Jim, good work
. Also Fearn, thanks for being a 'sparring partner', when I try to play the Devil's Advocate it trully helps to have a 'counter argument'...which, for me, seems to open new 'avenues of discussion'
Kind Regards David