This crude graffiti cartoon from the early second century, may be the oldest known depiction of Christ. The image is scratched into the plaster wall of that barracks of a Roman slave-training school, and

Some scholars disagree that the figure is meant to represent Christianity; some believe the Donkey headed figure may represent Bacchus. Still others point to the drawing as evidence of a close relation between the cults of Jesus and Bacchus/Dionysus).

Related Symbols:

As a Christian symbol, the Alpha and Omega represent the eternal nature of Jesus Christ. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The symbol recalls a line in the Book of Revelation:

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord.”

The alpha and omega as symbols of eternity pre-existed Christianity, the letters are commonly found in similar context in the pagan mysteries. The omega itself is an ancient symbol of the goddess Ishtar, and originally represented her head-dress (and later that of the goddess Hathor), while the alpha is derived from the ox-horn headdress ascribed to a series of male deities and divine kings.

The Alpha and Omega are included also in the name IAO, a Greco-Roman rendition of the Hebrew tetragrammaton which was also used as a sacred name of Bacchus/Dionysus and as “Iao Sabaoth” represented the Gnostic demiurge.

The pomegranate (Latin, pomum granatus, “seeded apple”) was first cultivated by the ancient Phoenicians, who used the jewel-like fruit as both food and medicine. The many seeds made the fruit an obvious emblem of fertility, and by association, love and marriage. The pomegranate is associated with a number of goddesses, including Astarte, Cybele, Hera, and especially Persephone, whose ingestion of just one of the fruit’s seeds (a probable allusion to pregnancy) made her an eternal prisoner of Hades.

Pomegranates were also sacred to the ancient Israelite, who adorned temples and religious implements with its likeness. The tops of the pillars (Jachim and Boaz) of the Temple of Solomon were decorated with pomegranates, as were the hems opf the robes of the High priests. Here, the pomegranate stood for wisdom. The fruit is said to contain 613 seeds, the number of mitzvot (laws) in the Torah.

The pomegranate’s popularity carried over into Christian art, where it variously symbolizes the church (many seeds in one skin), or the passion and resurrection of Christ and of believers (especially when portrayed open or burst).

There is some evidence in ancient art to suggest that both the crown and the globus cruciger are derived from depictions of the pomegranate.

This is a gesture known as the Christogram, and is considered the original “sign of the cross.” The fingers are positioned to form the Greek letters ICXC, an abbreviation of the Greek name of Christ: IHCOYC XRICTOC. This gesture is unbiquitous in Renaissance images of Christ and the apostles, as well as in portraits of Saints and clergy.

The Christogram is used today as a traditional gesture of blessing by priests in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Curiously, the same gesture is known in Hindu and Buddhist traditions as the prana mudra, a symbol of healing.

Hans Memling, Christ blessing

Related Symbols:

There are two types of Christian crosses referred to as Coptic. The original Coptic Cross is derived from the Egyptian Ankh and used by the early Christians in Egypt.

Later forms, sometimes called “Ethiopian crosses,” are distinctive intricate interwoven and crossed designs worn primarily by African Christians. These are sometimes called “Lalibela” crosses, after Holy City of Ethipia where many examples can be found. The version below is one of many styles:

An Ethiopian Cross

Related symbols:

In Buddhism, the eight auspicious signs symbolize the eight-fold path of Buddhist practice, and are commonly found on numerous decorative objects, on temples, and used as good luck symbols. They are:

Eternal knot	Conch	Parasol	Lotus
Golden Fish	Vase	Dharma	Victory Banner

The magatama is a very ancient emblem of Japanese identity. The original matagama were small, animal-tooth shaped amulets made of stone (usually jade), bone, or horn. These small ornaments appear in Japanese and Korean burial sites from around 1000 BCE, and might have served as status symbols.

According to Shinto legend, a necklace of magatama (Yasakani no Magatama ) was among the items hung outside the cave of the sun goddess Amaterasu, and is counted among the three ‘treasures’ of the Japanese imperial regalia:

Related Symbols:

The lulav and etrog (literally, palm-branch and citron) in Judaism is a symbolic bundle of plants (the “four species” or Arba Minim) used to fulfill the mitzvah of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, an agricultural festival commemorating the Israelite’s sojourn in the desert.

The bundle contains:

• Lulav, a frond from a date palm
• Hadass, a branch of myrtle
• Aravah a willow branch
• Etrog, a citron, the fruit of a citrus similar to lemons

The bundled plants are waved ritually on all seven days of Sukkot, as prescribed in the book of Leviticus:

“And you shall take for yourselves on the first day , the fruit of the citron tree, tightly bound branches of date palms, the branch of the myrtle tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.”

A blessing is recited with the branches in the dominant hand (usually the right) and the fruit in the favored hand.

From an early synagogue floor

Related Symbols:

In most parts of the world, Winter is cold and harsh; the Christmas tree, with its ornaments and twinkling lights, is a sign of warmth and gaiety. The Christmas tree is such a popular symbol of the winter holiday that it has been adopted by people of many faiths all over the world. The custom of decorating an evergreen with lights and ornaments is ostensibly Christian, but its roots lie deep in the Pagan past.

Many ancient cultures perceived trees to be symbols of the universe, and trees were often associated with the many pagan solar deities whose birthdays were celebrated during the winter solstices. In ancient times, the survival of mankind was wholly dependent on the seasons, and solstice rituals encouraged the sun god’s return to power. Evergreen trees in particular were seen as symbols of divinity and immortality, because they do not ‘die’ as other trees do. Thus, the return of the sun at the winter solstice was symbolized by the evergreen.*

In ancient Greece, the God Attis, the son/consort of the Mother Goddess Cybele, was believed to have died and been resurrected.** His birthday was celebrated on December 25th, and decorated evergreen trees were carried in processions in his honor.

The evergreen tree has also been long associated with gift giving- citizens of ancient Rome celebrated the Saturnalia, a week long December festival honoring the God Saturnus, by exchanging gifts attached to evergreen branches. These branches, called strenae, were part of a week long festival that was so popular, it was retained largely intact by Christians. Pope Liberius of Rome, in 354 A.D., ordered the date of December 25th be observed from that time on as the birthday of Christ, citing the Pagan festival of Saturn. (incidentally, the image of Saturnus, the Roman God of time, is the origin of the image of ‘father time,’ meaning that father time and father Christmas are closer than one might expect.) The actual birth of Jesus, according to biblical inference, would have been in the spring.

Other evergreen traditions come from pagan sources as well. In an old Norse tradition, evergreens were burned to encourage the return of the sun. A direct descendant of this practice, which is still carried out in remote parts of Europe, is the Yule*** log. (These same Norse traditions also inspired the popular notion of stealthy nocturnal gift giving by sleigh-riding elves!)

A similar custom, which is the ancestor of the modern Christmas tree, took place in Pagan Germany- the twelve ‘raunacht,’ or wild nights, were commemorated with a decorated evergreen. This custom of burning a tree was eventually replaced with trees or wooden pyramids decorated with burning candle, which are still common in many households in Europe.

As trees have long been a symbol of rebirth, the Christmas tree became a natural symbol for the resurrected God of Christianity. The first known record of a decorated tree honoring the Christian nativity was a sixteenth century description of a tree decorated with “roses cut out of many-colored paper, apples, wafers, gold foil and sweets,” which was burned in the old tradition. The tree was now said to represent the tree of paradise, representing the vision of ehaven. This was the tree The idea caught on quickly, and soon Christmas trees were almost universally popular.

Strong opposition to Christmas trees by the Puritan settlers kept Christmas trees out of American territory until the nineteenth century, when German settlers popularized the tradition. Until recent years, the Christmas tree was hung upside-down, suspened fromt he ceiling.

*Not always! To the ancient Celts, the symbol of the sun god’s return was the mistletoe, whose white berries were viewed as his sperm, the promise of the return of the sacred oak.

**For more about pre-Christian resurrected gods, see: The Mysterious Dying God

***Yule is from the old Norse, Yul, meaning ‘wheel.’ A custom of rolling a burning wheel downhill at Yule time has survived into modern times in many parts of europe. A similar practice was enacted in honor of the celtic sun god Taranis.

The Christmas Tree, Decking the Halls

The so-called Christmas Tree is one of the most purely pagan of the modern holiday observances. Modern whitewash attributes the custom of lighted Christmas trees to Protestant reformer Martin Luther, with with a charming tale wherein he glimpses the starry sky between evergreen branches. It’s sweet, but hogwash. (Luther, who railed against excess, doesn’t seem a likely promoter of frivolous decor). The custom of decorating trees in honor of the gods is in fact so old it is specifically prohibited in the Old Testament*- which is why our Jewish friends don’t have Hanukkah trees**)

The Christmas tree, like many Christmas customs, originated in the ancient Roman new year festival of Saturnalia. Saturnalia was celebrated much the same as we do Christmas today. Home decoration was emphasized, and the decorations were the evergreen trees sacred to the sun- pine, holly, etc.

Gift giving was also another popular part of Saturnalia festivities- friends and families exchanged gifts of decorated branches, evergreen wreaths, incense, candles, and religious figurines. Caroling, Wassailing, and masked processions were other Saturnalia staples that long outlasted the Roman Empire.

Saturn is still honored at the new year as “father time.” Even the image of the Christmas angel was borrowed from Roman iconology- there were no female angels in Hebrew of Christian scriptures. (wrathful creatures with multitudes of eyes with animal bodies and wings or flaming swords, yes. Kindly feminine angels in flowing dresses, no.)

Misseltoe

What about the Mistletoe? Mistletoe was held sacred to the sun to the Norse and the Celts of Europe, whose beliefs about the magical virtues of mistletoe survived into the Christian era. It was for this reason that England’s churches banned its use within their walls.

Fortunately for hopeful romantics, the prohibition didn’t stick.

The pagan Norse Solstice celebration, Yule, gives us both the Yule log and the “Twelve Days” of Christmas. The burning of a tree, a log, or a wheel was a widespread custom in European pagan Solstice ceremonies. The burning of the Yule log is a symbolic sacrifice of the sun’s sacred evergreen, and its sacrifice gave energy to ensure the rebirth of the weakened sun. The celebration of Twelfth Night is also drawn from ancient Yule practices, although the King Cake custom came later, a symbolic recreation of the ancient custom of the sacrificial king- The “Lord of Misrule” who presided over so many Christmas parties was an echo of the seasonal “king” who long ago was sacrificed at the end of the season to ensure plentiful crops and the fertility of both man and livestock.

See: The Evolution of the Christmas Tree, Saturnalia- the real “Reason for the Season”

Santa Claus

Santa Claus is something of a syncretic figure, a patchwork of legendary characters. While most accept that Santa is evolved from fourth century Catholic Saint Nicholas of Myra (The name Santa Claus is an Americanization of the Dutch name for Nicholas, “Sinterklaas”), that’s really a bit of a gloss. In truth, traditions of elves, witches, or other supernatural gift-givers pre-existed in European tradition.

The Scandinavian gift-giving gnome Tomten (Also known as Julesvenn, Julnissen, Knecht Ruprecht) contributed the archetypal peaked red hat and associations with reindeer. Tomten was a little more volatile than today’s Santa- he could leave gifts or play tricks depending on the quality of the offerings for him Sometimes, he is portrayed as a demon who whips bad children; in Germany he’s Krampus, a ragged devil figure.

After the advent of Christianity in the North, the cantankerous elf became sidekick to the Saint -Belsnickel, ‘furry Nicholas,’ he being responsible for the distribution of whippings and coal to the naughty children. The Christmas imp was eventually absorbed, leaning only his red cap and sleigh behind. (I suspect he may now be seen working as sidekick to the white witch in the Narnia Books; he is also the close relation of Riumpelstilzkin) (and speaking of evil elves…)

Somehow stories of the generous St. Nicholas (well, mostly so- Nicholas was also reputed to have socked a rival in the jaw over a dispute about the virgin Mary) were muddled with the Scandinavian elf. According to his legend, St. Nicholas was a political activist who championed the poor, prisoners, and children. His association with Christmas giving is almost certainly cover for less acceptable pagan characters.

Santa Claus as we visualize him today sprang from the imagination of American political cartoonist Thomas Nast. Santa’s British counterpart, Father Christmas, is a little bit St. Nick and a little bit Father time. Italian children don’t know Santa; they await gifts from Befana, a kindly witch. Dutch children leave shoes out and hope for a small gift from the Kriskind, an angel representing the Christ child (another name for Kriskind is ‘Kris Kringle,’ so referring to Santa by that name creates a sort of Jesus/elf-angel hybrid).

Some Invented Legends

Candy Canes are the subject of an annual pass-around email, but they were never the special creation of a pious Christian candymaker. When the Christmas tree became popular in Germany, it was commonly decorated with sweets and colored paper. Cane-shaped candy fits over a tree branch. Their popularity with children might have led some to take advantage of their shepherd’s crook shape to teach some religious lessons.

Connections are often made between Santa Claus and the Norse god Odin, usually centered around the coincidence of eight reindeer and the eight legs of Odin’s magical horse. The problem with that similarity is, Santa only had one reindeer companion, until a New York writer upped it to seven, along with inventing the idea of Santa -then portrayed as a tiny elf- slipping down the chimney.) However, there is some connection- early Scandinavian pictograms of Odin often portray him on a reindeer, which is certainly a good way to leave people scratching their heads around the punchbowl..

*Well, maybe not. After all, the Hannukah menorah is, in a sense, a representation of the Tree of Life.

**See Jeremiah 10:3