“Skull” - meaning and interpretation of the symbol The skull belongs to the category of the most gloomy and threatening symbols, causing involuntary trepidation in impressionable natures. In the deep hollows of empty eye sockets, in the deathly yellowness, in the eerie motionless grin, a superstitious person imagined a hidden Death, so the skull has long become a symbol of death and the frailty of existence. However, the symbolism of the skull is not limited to these meanings. In many traditions, especially in the East, the skull was seen as the seat of spirit, vital energy and intelligence. In the religions of many peoples of Europe, Asia and Africa, the symbolic meaning of the skull was closely associated with a construction sacrifice. During the dark Middle Ages, there was a widespread belief that in order to ensure the strength of the structure being built, it was necessary to make a bloody sacrifice to the gods or spirits of the earth. For this purpose, human sacrifices were used when laying castles, fortresses, cathedrals or bridges. Innocent children beautiful women or simply random passers-by were buried alive in the ground or walled up in the walls of a building under construction. Echoes of this barbaric custom are heard in many medieval legends. According to one of them, the walls of Copenhagen collapsed several times during construction until a little girl was sacrificed. The child was seated at a table with sweets and toys, and while the unsuspecting child played and ate, twelve masons built a vault over him. An Italian legend tells that the bridge being built across the Artu River kept collapsing until the builder’s wife was put inside it. During the construction of fortresses, the Slavic princes ordered to grab the first boy they came across and wall him up in the wall, and therefore the Slavic fortresses were allegedly called detinets. These terrible legends, unfortunately, are confirmed in the chronicles. Thus, in one German chronicle, an entry dated 1463 dispassionately tells about the inhabitants of Nogata who decided to build a new dam. Wanting to strengthen it with a construction sacrifice, they drunk one beggar senseless and then buried him at the base of the building. The examples given make it possible to understand why in the Middle Ages there was often mention of buildings standing on bones or on “death’s heads.” However, human sacrifices were made only in exceptional cases. Much more often, animals or birds acted as construction victims: bulls, horses, deer, roosters, etc. The ancient Germans, Slavs, Indians and other uncivilized peoples had the custom of crowning their homes with the skulls of construction victims, which served them as amulets against evil. For the same purpose, animal skulls were placed on the palisade surrounding the ancient settlement - it was believed that such a measure would protect its inhabitants from attacks by enemies. In iconography, the skull is primarily a symbol of earthly vanity and frailty of life. The skull is an attribute of some holy hermits: Jerome, Romuald, Francis of Assisi, as well as the repentant sinner Mary Magdalene. Immersed in prayer, the saints carefully examine the skull lying in front of them or hold it in their hands - this spiritual exercise helps them renounce earthly vanity. Of particular importance in iconography is the symbolic image of the “head of Adam” - a skull with crossed arm bones, lying at the base of the Calvary cross. According to church traditions, the first person buried precisely on Golgotha, where Jesus Christ was later crucified, prophesied before his death: “In the place where I will be buried, the Word of God will be crucified and will water my skull with its blood.” Based on this tradition, medieval icon painters often depicted drops of blood flowing from Christ's wounds and falling onto Adam's skull, symbolizing the washing away of his sin. Sometimes Adam’s skull was depicted upside down, in the form of a kind of cup where the flowing blood of Christ accumulates. In this case, the head of Adam is actually identified with the Holy Grail. The skull filled with blood symbolized self-denial and atonement for sins in iconography. IN fine arts the skull acts both as an independent symbol and as the main attribute of personified figures. The same symbolism of the frailty of existence is conveyed in a cycle of paintings united by the Latin name “Vanitas” (vanity), where the skull illustrates the well-known expression “memento mori” (remember death). The skull as an attribute of the personified Melancholy, sitting above an open book, expresses the futility of her efforts to master knowledge and wisdom. The decrepit old man examining the skull represents the allegorical figure of Old Age. In portraiture, a character's hand placed on a skull indicates deep respect for the deceased. The wreath crowning the skull eloquently testifies to the posthumous glory of the deceased. In Freemasonry, before the initiation ceremony, the lodge was draped with black cloth with images of skulls and crossbones. These images, as well as a lantern made from a skull in which fire shone through the eye sockets, were intended to remind the candidate of caution, calm behavior and fearlessness before the upcoming severe trials. In occultism, phrenology is the study of the structural features of the human skull - a science whose father is considered to be the French mystic Gall. In the 2nd half of the 19th century, the theory of his follower, the Italian physician Cesare Lombroso, devoted to the structural features of the criminal’s skull, gained great popularity. Having founded the school of criminal anthropology, Lombroso in 1876 published the book “Criminal Man, Studied on the Basis of Anthropology, Forensic Medicine and Prison Science,” in which he tried to substantiate his conclusions. According to Lombroso, the skull of any criminal is abnormally developed, it is more reminiscent of the skulls of lower prehistoric races. Murderers are usually brachycephalic (short-headed), and thieves are dolichocephalic (long-headed), but both are characterized by an ugly skull, developed cheekbones and jaws, a narrow and sloping forehead, strongly prominent frontal tubercles and asymmetrically located eye sockets. Modern followers of Gall and J1 Ombroso continue to exploit this "rich vein". Phrenologists are convinced that the structure of a person’s skull can tell a lot about his character. Here are some of their observations: a narrow, elongated skull speaks of curiosity and aptitude for science; a skull compressed above the temples and widening at the jaws indicates a person with low intelligence; a skull widening above the temples indicates a rich imagination and a penchant for mysticism. A convex back of the head distinguishes a person with developed mathematical abilities , and the flattened one - a self-centered and uncommunicative nature. A bulge in the middle or at the corners of the forehead is characteristic of philosophers, on the crown - of politicians, in the center of the back of the head - of heartthrobs, etc. Crystal skulls, made with great skill, were used by Mayan priests in ancient times for their mysteries. Ordinary Indians, intimidated by them, considered these skulls to be the materialized embodiment of evil, which the priests used magic to keep in obedience. One of these amazing skulls is now kept in the British Museum, the other in the Paris Museum of Man. Both in ancient times and the Middle Ages, and in our days, all kinds of fortune tellers, soothsayers and clairvoyants, along with crystal balls and magic crystals, use crystal skulls in their rituals - a symbol of their power over otherworldly forces. In emblems, the skull is, first of all, a symbol of danger, designed to intimidate. The skull emblem has been used in this meaning for a long time. The image of a skull on a pirate flag with crossed shin bones was present on the robes of the Spanish inquisitors, on pirate flags, on the emblems of many secret societies, whose secrets were not subject to disclosure, and those who violated the oath were punishable by death. In military emblems, the image of a skull, which distinguished punitive or elite units, was placed on cockades, chevrons, tokens, medals, orders and regimental insignia. This emblem gained great popularity in the 20th century - the era of the most brutal large-scale wars, characterized by the total destruction of not only enemy soldiers, but also civilians. Among the White Guards, the skull emblem was depicted on the badge of the Kornilov Shock Regiment and the Wrangel Russian Corps; on the cross of Vermont-Avalov, on the “cross of the brave” of Ataman Bulak-Bulakovich, as well as on the sign of the cavalry division of Colonel Herschelman, where the skull and crossbones were located under the crossed sabers. The Nazis introduced the skull emblem in 1935 for special SS units in charge of concentration camps, and in 1940 they extended it to the elite SS units, which have since received the name SS “Totenkopf” divisions. From the second half of the 20th century, a terrifying emblem of a skull with some minor elements - lightning, wings, etc. - paramilitary units of the US intelligence services began to use “commandos” in their symbols. In our country, the skull emblem, as a sign warning of danger, was used not by the military, but by technical services. For this purpose, the skull was depicted on bottles with toxic substances, in ammunition depots, and in combination with a zigzag lightning, as a sign of dangerous voltage, on high-voltage poles and transformer boxes. In the history of ancient peoples, the skull for a long time was a symbol of the continuity of vital forces. The Celts brought the skulls of defeated enemies to their temples in order to subjugate them. vitality died, and this example was followed by many other peoples who were at a lower stage of development. Some tribes also pursued the same goal. North American Indians, who had the custom of scalping captured enemies. The custom of making bowls from skulls was also quite widespread among the ancients. When a person drank from such a vessel, he, along with the drink contained in it, seemed to absorb the vital force stored in the skull. We can even glean examples of such a barbaric custom from national history. The Laurentian Chronicle reports the death of the famous Russian prince Svyatoslav Igorevich on the Dnieper rapids: “And Kurya, the prince of Pecheneg, attacked him; and they killed Svyatoslav, and cut off his head, and made a cup from the skull, bound the skull (with silver), and then drank from it.” Papal legate Guillaume de Rubruk, who headed the embassy to the Mongol Kagan in 1253-1255, by the way, mentions the existence of a similar custom among the Tibetans, who made beautiful bowls from the skulls of their deceased parents - in this way they preserved the memory of their ancestors and the continuity of generations. Over time, another function of skulls gradually comes to the fore, designed to frighten not yet defeated enemy. In the Middle Ages, skulls began to be seen as trophies that terrified the enemy, although echoes of previous beliefs persisted for quite a long time. Skulls of executed enemies or criminals, impaled on stakes or placed in iron cages, were displayed at city gates for warning and intimidation. Sometimes real monumental structures were created from hundreds and thousands of skeletonized heads. One of these eerie monuments has survived to this day in Chichen Itza, the main city of the ancient Mayans. This is Tsompant-li, i.e. The Wall of Skulls, made up of many thousands of heads severed during sacrifices. The wall is decorated with three rows of reliefs depicting many skulls impaled on long poles. However, to those who had to survive the invasion of Tamerlane’s troops, the Mayan Wall of Skulls might seem like a mere trifle, because history has never known such a terrible “architect” who used severed heads or even living people as building material. After the capture of Baghdad, at the behest of Iron Lame, as Tamerlane was nicknamed, 120 huge pyramids were built from the heads of captives. The largest of them contained up to 70 thousand skulls. The same terrible picture could be observed in India after the fall of Delhi, and in Persia after the capture of Isfahan. Tamerlane showed a special “honor” to the rulers of the peoples he conquered: a “small pyramid” of their skulls supported the high throne of this monster in the palace of Samarkand. Apparently, the purpose of the “small pyramid” was twofold: firstly, all the former strength and power of the defeated rulers was supposed to pass to the inhuman ruler of the Central Asian power, and secondly, the ambassadors of foreign sovereigns who visited his court became involuntary instruments of politics Tamerlane. Talking about the horrors they saw, they shocked their own rulers and spread the ominous glory of Tamerlane far beyond the borders of his empire.

Tattoos not only decorate the body, but also have a certain meaning for the owner and carry a special meaning. What does the image of a skull mean?

general information

The skull is a human bone, and for many, of course, it is associated with death. And this is actually true, but different cultures ending worldly life is assessed differently. Thus, there are many practices that involve the transition of a person’s soul after his death to another state, another world or another substance.

That is, death can be deciphered not only as the end, but also as rebirth, the beginning of something new and unknown. And it is precisely these views that have determined modern interpretations of skull tattoos.

Who does this suit?

Who is a skull tattoo suitable for? Many believe that such an image is intended for a man, as it is quite brutal and even frightening. Moreover, the owner must certainly be tough or even cruel, gloomy.

But often such drawings are made by young guys, and, as they say, “easy-going”, risky, liberated or gambling, and this is associated with some interpretation options.

The skull may well be suitable for a girl if it is depicted not in a frightening way, but in a softer, elegant or even funny way.

Values

So, what does a skull tattoo mean? Interpretations can be very different, and sometimes radically opposite. Here are some of them:

• For many, such an image is associated with death and reminds us that everyone will die someday. On the one hand, this may seem pessimistic, but, on the other hand, such is life. As a result, the skull becomes a symbol of the transience of life, the eternity of existence.
• Such a symbol can serve as a reminder that you need to live and enjoy life, because someday it will end. Often those who choose such an image tend to try everything in order to regret what they did, and not what they did not have time to do.
• Bikers often wear skulls to protect against death. Thus, they show that they encounter it almost every day and are not afraid of it.
• In the criminal world, skulls are usually painted on their bodies by thieves. And if the skull is also pierced with a dagger, then this indicates that the criminal resisted law enforcement agencies during arrest, wounded one of the police officers or swore revenge on them.
• Many symbolize the skull as a threat, often fatal. For this reason, pirates decorated their flags with this image. And the owner of the tattoo may try to convey to others that he is not to be trifled with, he is very dangerous.
• The skull can be seen as liberation from something, gaining true freedom.
• Some people place this image for good luck and use it as a talisman or talisman. By the way, in Mexico they celebrate the Day of the Dead, on which skulls can be seen everywhere. And Holy Death (as the patroness of the holiday is called) is asked for help, most often by criminals.
• The skull can be a symbol of male chauvinism, that is, extremely negative and radical views towards women, as well as the superiority and dominant role of men.
• Such drawings are often used by scammers, card players or simply gambling people, thereby showing that their life is always associated with a certain risk and can end at any moment.
• The meaning of the skull may be associated with a symbol of bitter truth, forgiveness of one's enemies.
• If a skull is depicted with a rose, for example, in its teeth, then this indicates that the owner of the tattoo is carefree, is not afraid of death, and strives for constant movement, courage and drive. He is not worried about what will happen next, he lives for today. Also, a skull with a rose can be the personification of love and death or the immortality of feelings.
• The image of the so-called “Jolly Roger” (or Adam’s head) can be associated with the salvation of the soul and freedom from death.
• This drawing may be associated with immortality.
• A skull with a snake coiled around it or crawling out of the eye socket can be regarded as wisdom. Such an image seems to indicate that its owner, even after death, will leave a mark on the earth and bequeath his experience to his descendants.
• A skull with wings is the personification of freedom, carefreeness, liberation from worldly affairs and routine.
• A skull with a crown is a desire for power and strength.
• The skull of a goat or other horned animal, surprisingly, symbolizes vitality and abundance.
• A raven on a skull will certainly bring destruction.

Some tips for those who can’t yet decide on such an unusual tattoo:

1. To begin, select a suitable location for application. If you want your beautiful tattoo remained unnoticeable, then make it, for example, on the back or on the ankle. If, on the contrary, you want to demonstrate the drawing, then apply it to your hand. Often such tattoos are done on the calves or thighs. And some choose the back. But it is not recommended to apply such an image on the chest, since it is believed that only the most intimate things should be located next to the heart.
2. Even the darkest tattoo will be made more alive and interesting by bright colors, so add some rich colors to the skull and it will be perceived completely differently!
3. To choose the appropriate option, you can study examples presented on the Internet or in tattoo artist catalogs.

Now you know everything about this tattoo!

The skull is one of those tattoos that gives people some mixed feelings. IN general case the meaning of a skull tattoo is associated with danger, death and awareness of transience human life. As a rule, such topics do not concern everyone, and not all people like to discuss them.

The skull and crossbones was a famous pirate symbol, and in ancient times it caused instant fear and horror in people. Tattoos with a skull are often applied to themselves by gamblers and scammers, whose lives are associated with constant risk and cruel luck; for such people, a skull tattoo has to some extent become a symbol of despair.

A skull tattoo is a symbol of truth, the bitter truth of time, which destroys and kills everything. Also, such a tattoo can be a symbol of forgiveness and sacrifice. This meaning comes to us from the depths of Christianity; legend says that after the painful death on the cross of Jesus, the Son of God, his blood flowed along the cross into the ground and washed the skull of Adam, the first man. Thus, Jesus, by his death, atoned for the original sin of Adam and Eve. Therefore, on all crucifixion icons, under the cross, a skull with crossed bones is depicted - the grave of Adam.

Some Buddhist sects use people's skulls as an amulet to constantly remind them that life is sacred. The ancient Celts, wandering throughout almost all of Europe, believed that the skull contained the immortal soul of a person. Therefore, they preserved the skulls of their glorious ancestors and brave warriors and treated them with special care; it was believed that whoever possessed someone’s skull also possessed his strength and dignity.

The skull can symbolize not only death, but also immortality. If the tattoo depicts a skull with a snake crawling out of the eye socket, it symbolizes immortality and wisdom, and says that our knowledge and experience remain on earth after our death.

The generally accepted meaning of a skull is death, decay, the end of earthly joys, but on the other hand, the meaning of a skull tattoo says “life is short” and says that there is no need to brag about your life and waste time. For modern bikers (as well as for American Indians), a skull in a tattoo is a protection against playful death, and a reminder that you need to take everything from life.

Images of skulls are quite popular in Mexico, where they celebrate the festival of death every year, and this is not a sad holiday at all, it is a day on which people try to get the most out of life. For them, the skull symbolizes the beginning of a new life, rebirth and reincarnation.

As a conclusion, it must be said that each person who makes a skull tattoo puts his own special meaning into it. For some it may be a memory of death loved one, and for some a symbol of hatred and blind rage. Therefore, the skull can be called a fairly universal symbol for a tattoo.

The image of "skull and crossbones" is strongly associated among millions of people around the world with symbols of pirates, death or poison.
But at the same time, in most ancient cultures, the skull and bones have long symbolized the ability for bodily rebirth, vital energy and fortitude.
Most researchers of Masonic organizations associate this symbol with the Templars, citing the legend:
The ruler of the city of Sidon loved one noble lady from Armenia, but never entered into a sinful relationship with her while she was alive; however, when she died and lay in the tomb, at night, immediately after the funeral, he made his way to the cemetery and secretly copulated with her. And then suddenly someone’s voice reached him: “Come back when the time comes for (her) to give birth, because you will find (here) a head - your child.” And so, after a due period of time, this same knight returned, and in the tomb, between the feet of the deceased, he discovered a human head. And again I heard a voice: “Keep this head, for it will bring you a lot of good, for anyone who sees it will be immediately destroyed.”
Phoenician Sidon and Beirut were centers of worship of Astarte, where she was considered the main female deity, and was also the goddess of earthly fertility, motherhood and love. The Sidonian kings were her high priests, and their spouses were her priestesses. Astarte was addressed as a mistress - the mistress of kings. It was considered an honor and duty to build for her
temple. In the land of Jerusalem there is the Asherah Valley, named after the goddess.

In Phenicia she was revered as the main female deity. As the “Divine Mother”, the giver of life, Mother Nature, who has ten thousand names, was associated with fertility among different peoples, hence the veneration of Astarte as the giver of life. Among the Phoenicians it was associated with the moon and Venus.

Under the name of Astarte, they represented a woman with horns, symbolizing the crescent moon at the time of the autumnal equinox, after the defeat of her husband (the Sun), defeated by the prince of darkness, and descended into Hades through the seven gates, to which she descended on outstretched wings. Astarte mourns the loss of her husband, Tammuz, who was also her son, and similarly, like Isis, she mourned her husband and brother (Osiris).

Astarte holds in her hands a cruciform staff, an ordinary cross, and cries while standing on the crescent moon. The Christian Virgin Mary is very often represented in the same way, standing on the moon, surrounded by stars and mourning her son. Among the Phoenicians, Astarte was associated with the “Morning Star” - Venus, and was considered by them as an evening and morning guide. “The eye of one’s mother goddess” could not be lost on a sea voyage. Mounted in the form of a statue on the bow of the ship, Astarte accompanied the sailors. Among the Syrians, Astaroth of Hieropolis was completely identified with the sparkling planet and was depicted as a majestic woman holding a torch in one hand and in the other a curved staff in the shape of a cross ansata (ankh), corresponding to the attribute of the Egyptian Isis.

Before the Phoenicians, the Babylonians worshiped Ishtar, linking her cult with Venus, who was the third in the astral triad Sun-Moon-Venus. As the evening star, she personified Venus, and as the morning star she was called Anunit - Lucifer.

In Russian culture, the skull with crossbones has the stable name “Adam’s Head” (or head) and is of Christian origin. According to legend, the place for the crucifixion of the Savior was chosen by God's providence right there,
where the mortal remains rested, i.e. skull and bones, the progenitor of the human race - Adam. Therefore, Golgotha ​​is also called Kranievo (i.e., translated from Greek, literally: “cranial”) or forehead place. According to legend, the blood and water that flowed from the rib of the crucified Christ - the “new Adam” - pierced by the spear of the Roman centurion Longinus, in order to ensure the death of the person condemned to the cross, spilled onto the bones of the “old Adam”, miraculously washed him from his sins, which was a symbolic prototype of the subsequent descent of Christ into hell for three days - from Friday to Sunday - with the aim of leading the Old Testament righteous from there to heaven, starting with the Forefather Adam.

But I can’t understand why pop stars also use this symbol, there seems to be nothing glamorous about it

The image of a skull is considered by many to be a sign of death. This perception is quite understandable, because it is supported by life itself and some historical facts. For example, everyone has seen skull and crossbones designs on transformer boxes and electrical poles. Sometimes, with the help of stencils, inscriptions are made under these pictures: "Danger! Keep out!". The signs of skulls on cabinets or vials of poisons look no less eloquent. In such cases, skull drawings are an unequivocal warning about possible death due to careless behavior.

Historical fact, which clearly linked the symbolism of the skull with death, is the use of the image of a death’s head on the chevrons, caps and helmets of the SS troops in Nazi Germany. In this case, it was not hidden that the skull is evidence of the readiness of these people to ruthlessly destroy everyone who interferes with the triumph of the ideas of Nazism.

And yet, the symbolism of the death’s head should not be reduced only to the idea of ​​annihilation. In fact, world culture provides much more evidence of something completely different. The image of the skull was initially interpreted by the most different peoples as a sign rather of immortality, the power of life, fertility, divine wisdom, knowledge, and protection of ancestors. Warriors perceived it as an emblem of valor and readiness to give their lives in battle for the Motherland.

Ancient life-affirming symbolism of the death's head

dates back to the early Paleolithic. People of the Stone and Bronze Ages revered the skulls of the dead as strong amulets, containers of special energy. Ethnographers came to these conclusions after analyzing the most ancient burial grounds and sanctuaries found during excavations in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. People of the past made skulls into objects of worship. They treated them with herbal decoctions, polished them, decorated them with carvings, covered them with leather, and set them in gold and silver. After this, the skulls were placed in ancestral tombs and sacred places. There they had to protect the tribes that revered them from disease and death, crop failures, loss of livestock, female infertility and other troubles and troubles.

Pagan beliefs of many peoples claimed that it is in the head, that is, in the skull, that all the life-supporting qualities of the individual are concentrated. Therefore such The desired prey for any warrior was the skull of the enemy, which was often used as a feast bowl. This meant taking the strength and valor of the deceased. It was not for nothing that the Pechenezh prince Kurya made himself a luxurious cup from the head of the great warrior Prince Svyatoslav, Olga’s son, who he killed. In addition, it was customary for many tribes to protect their settlements, barns, and animal pens with their heads (often ancestors). It was believed that a skull buried in a field would help the land produce a good harvest and protect it from drought.

In later times, skull worship became more complex shapes. He began to be associated with one or another deity, becoming his attribute.

The Phoenician goddess of the moon, nature, motherhood, harvest and abundance, Astarte (Ishtar), was sometimes depicted standing on a pile of skulls. This emphasized her connection with underground world the dead, which becomes the source of life.

The ancient Egyptian sister and wife of Osiris Isis, who was one of the variations of Astarte, in rare drawings also stands next to the death heads and seems to be talking with them.

Among the ancient Greeks, one of the most revered Olympic goddesses was Athena, who was associated with wisdom and law, patronized the bearers of knowledge, and was the personification of knowledge that underlies the universe. She was born from the head of Zeus, and on her shield was also depicted the head of the Gorgon Medusa.

The Scandinavian thunderer Thor wore a ring on which, among other things, a skull was knocked out. The Vikings in general very often had drawings and ornaments, part of which were the bearded dead heads of ancestors, who give various predictions and advice to the people bending over him.

The Celts also revered skulls as sacred objects of worship. They considered them to be the seats of the soul, the very essence of existence. The Celts believed that the head, even after the death of the body, could continue to live fully, becoming a special kind of deity.

The ancient Slavic god of the sun and fertility Yarilo holds a skull in one of his hands. Our ancestors considered the death's head an excellent amulet against evil spirits and diseases, so they not only impaled skulls on stakes near their homes, but also placed them in beds.

Human skull inlaid with metal and turquoise.

Image of the goddess Astarte. Stone bas-relief.

Skull - symbol of the god Thor

Christian symbolism of Adam's head

also speaks not only about death, but also about eternal life through resurrection. Everyone knows that on the traditional Christian crucifix, in addition to the figure of the crucified Savior, a skull is depicted. It is located at the bottom of the entire composition and represents Adam, whose sins Jesus washed away with his sacrificial blood and thereby atoned for. This pictorial tradition is characteristic of both Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant crosses, including grave crosses. You can read more about this, and many other funeral traditions, on the website of the Danila-Master company.

The word Golgotha ​​itself (the name of the mountain where Christ was crucified) is translated from Hebrew as “place of the forehead (skull).” The Christian fathers of the church, referring to the ancient rabbis, unanimously argued that it was Adam’s grave that gave this name to the mountain. The blood of Jesus sanctified the skull, and from that moment on, Adam's head became a symbol of the salvation of mankind from sins, a sign of redemption and resurrection from the dead. On old Christian frescoes you can see a drawing of a skull filled with blood. So he is also associated with the Holy Grail.

Skulls are decorated with crosses and vestments Orthodox monks schemaniks, who refused material world to revive your soul to eternal life. One of the well-known historical examples of this kind is the story of the Russian Chernoriz warriors Peresvet and Oslyab, whom Sergius of Radonezh gave to the Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich for the battle with the Mongol army on the Kulikovo Field. They were seen from afar thanks not only to their black clothing, but also to the bright white skull markings on it. Both monks died for the faith and the Russian land.

Catholic Christianity also revered Adam’s head not only as a sign of death and mortality, but also as a sacred object, giving life and health, strengthening faith. This was especially evident during the early Middle Ages. Often in Western monasteries and churches, the skulls of local saints were used as cups from which they drank to cure epilepsy, fever, and to prevent the plague. These sacred vessels were bound in silver, decorated with patterns and covered with symbolic signs.

Elder Zosima (in schema Zechariah)

In the East

whose religions recognize mortal life as evil and death as good, the skull is perceived as the receptacle of intellect, spirit and energy of life. Ancient shamans used real dead heads and their images during their cults. After the spread of Buddhism, the worship of skulls ceased, but they remained in the attributes of the new religion as a special kind of sacred objects with the help of which one can communicate with souls. Hinduism also reveres the image of a skull. Goddess Kali is often depicted with a necklace of 50 (according to the number of letters in the Sanskrit alphabet) skulls, which symbolize the series of reincarnations of the human soul. In addition, in the Buddhist East, death through cutting off the head was considered a sacred initiation, the best exit of the soul from the body at the end of its earthly existence.

Siberian shaman. Wax figure.

Symbolism of secret societies

also often includes a drawing of a death's head. The monks of the Templar Order perceived the skull as a repository of secret knowledge. He was depicted in the center eight-pointed cross, which was awarded to the newly initiated into the brotherhood of the templars. In various Masonic lodges, the skull was used in initiation rites or heraldry as the embodiment of perseverance in keeping secrets, knowledge about the frailty of existence and death. Some lodges are called accordingly: "Death's Head" (in Moscow and St. Petersburg), (Yale, USA).

Skull and Bones Society. 19th century Yale, USA.

Jolly Roger

This is another iconic form of the death's head. Many consider it a symbol of piracy. But this smiling skull with crossed sabers underneath was actually a characteristic sign of not many pirate crews and their leaders. Perhaps only Calico Jack Rackham, Emmanuel Wynne, Christopher Condenta and Edward England used it accurately. The remaining leaders of the free robber ships preferred other recognizable pictures. The pirate skulls looked different, but they all had one recurring feature: a smile. She talked about the fact that those who fly the flag Jolly Roger gentlemen of fortune board other people's ships not for the sake of murder, but only for robbery and taking prisoners, for whom they can get a good ransom.

Modern stylization of the piracy symbol.

Military symbols of different times and tribes

also repeatedly embodied the image of a skull. In Europe, it first appears in the 12th century on banners and helmets. spiritual knightly order Good Death. And since the middle of the 18th century, this sign has gained enormous popularity in different European armies. After the death of the Prussian king Frederick William I, regiments of the Royal Life Hussars were formed in his honor, the emblem of which was a skull and crossbones. Subsequently it became an inheritance Weimar Army and the troops of the Third Reich. In the 19th century, the symbol of the death's head appeared on the standards of the Black Legion - the hussars of the Brunswick Regiment, who fought with the Napoleonic army. During Crimean War The British lancers fought heroically at Balaclava and as a reward received an emblem with a skull and the inscription “Glory or Death.” It has remained in the regiment to this day. Similar symbols were repeatedly used by various branches of European troops both during the 1st and 2nd World Wars, and on both sides of the conflicts.

Nazi emblem.

In Russia, Adam's head has always been given great spiritual significance and associated with Orthodoxy. Her image was used not only by monks who fought the enemy, but also by ordinary warriors.

On the Kulikovo field a black banner with a skull fluttered over the Ambush Regiment of Prince Vladimir of Serpukhov the Brave.

Mikhail Vorotynsky (voivode of Ivan the Terrible) defeated the huge forces of the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray with a small army near Molodi. The leading regiment of the guardsman Khvorostinin, who fought under the banner with Adam's head, distinguished himself by his bravery.