Sheaf of wheat on a headstone denotes a long and fruitful life.Wheat is symbolic of immortality and resurrection. Being a staple of life,wheat has been thought of as being a gift from God. Like other cereal crops such as corn and barley, wheat symbolizes the fertility of the earth, renewal,rebirth and abundance. In Christian symbolism, wheat represents the body of Christ, the righteous and the godly.
SHELL
The shell is one of the more unusual graveyard decorations—normally it is the scallop shell. Symbolically, the shell represents a pilgrimage or journey however it has also been used to symbolize baptism and fertility. According to Jack Tresidder, the shell is a symbol of the vulva, “linked with conception,regeneration, baptism, and, in many traditions, prosperity—probably through its association with fecundity.”
SKULLS
Puritan Influence (16th & 17th Century) ~ was extremely dark and foreboding in its message denoting the person lived and died with nothing important in between.
Post Puritanism (mid 17th Century) ~ skulls were depicted with a brighter and more innocent image.
STAR OF DAVID
Six-pointed star or Star of David, also known as Magen David (Hebrew for shield of David), it is typically used as a symbol of Judaism. The star is actually made of two triangles. It signifies divine protection as epitomized by the alchemistic signs for fire and water which are an upward and downward apexed triangle. The star is a very ancient symbol, used by several Asia Minor cultures, as well as some Greek city states. For Judaism, the Star of David came into widespread use at the beginning of the 20th century. Theodore Hertzel, a Jewish activist, adopted the symbol in his writings promoting Palestine as a Jewish homeland.
STONE BALL
A cluster of three stone balls, however, connotes a gift or money. However, there are other meanings behind this symbol as well. Balls may represent either the sun or the moon and symbolic of the power of the gods to hurl comets from the heavens.
Carved stone balls have appeared in widely diverse areas of the world and apparently represent mystic and archaic meanings. According to the Association for Gravestone Studies, these balls may represent the endlessness of time, or eternity, which would be very appropriate for cemetery symbolism.
In Mesoamerica, where the ballgame was played for ritual reasons and the results were often deadly, the ball itself symbolized the sun that not only journeyed across the sky but also in and out of the underworld.
Victorian influence also was responsible for the introduction of ancient Egyptian motifs into secular architecture and graveyard decoration. The “rebirth” of ancient architectural styles during the neo-pagan revivalist period resulted in some of the more interesting changes to American homes and buildings. The photograph above shows how this style also came to be used on the tombs of our more wealthy citizenry, who, according to some researchers, did not know the ancient symbolic meaning the image but chose the design due to the popularity of anything Egyptian.
SWASTIKA
Exact origin is unknown but it is considered one of the oldest and widespread symbols used. Commonly found on Buddhist memorials, it represents the seal of the Buddha’s heart; the doctrine of Buddha; the round of existence. To the Chinese, the swastika had two forms symbolizing the male and female; clockwise and anti-clockwise. Also used by the Romans and later by the Nazi party in Germany during the Second World War. Means "all is well" in Sanskrit; ancient symbol, especially common in India; good luck or good fortune; commonly used in Hindu art, architecture and decoration (source).
SWORD
The sword has several meanings including vitality and strength, association with the military and gods of war and as a symbol of indomitable power and divine truth.
TREES
Symbolism depends on the type of tree. The Tree of Life represents longevity, resurrection, eternity and incorruptibility. The weeping willow symbolizes grief and sorrow.
URN
Greek symbol of mourning, the body as a vessel of the soul, originating as a repository for the ashes of the dead in ancient times - a popular symbol of mourning. Most represent an ossuary. In several examples an Angel is looking inside it as if to inspect the contents. A flame is sometimes shown coming from the Urn. They are often draped with a cloth or festooned with a wreath or garland. This fashion of Urn's persisted well into the 1850's at least.
* Urn, draped - Connotes death, often of an older person.
*Urn with flame - Undying friendship; eternal flame.
WREATH
Eternal Victory
Originally an ancient symbol of victory, it was adopted into the Christian religion as a symbol of the victory of the redemption.
The wreath as a circle is one of mankind's oldest symbols. It stands for eternity, because it is without beginning or end. It is a sign of completeness, perfection, and wholeness. A hand holding the wreath represents the Hand of God.
YIN-YANG SYMBOL
The symbol comes from Taoism and Confucianism and represents harmony and balance. It denotes the two existential and controlling forces of the universe, the yin, the negative and passive feminine power depicted in black and on the left side of the circle, and the yang, the positive and active masculine power depicted in white on the right side of the circle. Yin represents the soul, wetness, cold, darkness, the moon, the Earth and sustenance. Yang represents the spirit, light, heat, dryness, day, the sun, heaven, creation and dominance. The yin before the yang signifies primeval darkness before creation. The small circle of the opposite color contained within both the yin and the yang represents the seed of the other and therefore their interdependence. The sigmoid line dividing the yin and yang means dynamism and the two are contained within a circle of revolution and unity.
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