A Collection of Weeping Willows

Posted on April 23, 2023 Posted in CollectionsTagged Canada, Canadian Cemeteries, Cemetery, Cemetery art, Cemetery Blog, Cemetery Blogger, Cemetery Photography, Cemetery Symbols, Cemetery Travel, East Oakwood Cemetery, Funerary Art, Funerary Symbols, Gravestone, Graveyard, Headstone, Kinzie-Biehn Cemetery, Kitchener, Martin's Mennonite Meeting House Cemetery, Merrill Cemetery, Oakwood, Ontario, Pine Grove Cemetery, Roseneath, Sault Ste Marie, Southern Ontario, Symbolism, Taphophile, Tombstone, Waterloo, Weeping Willow, Willow tree2 Comments

While working on an upcoming project, I was going through my photo archive and found myself frequently stopping on the images of weeping willows. I have captured an interesting variety in the last few years. I love weeping willows, they have a very unique look. They are not common in my area, in the forests, or on graves.

So for today’s collection, I wanted to take a closer look at this cemetery symbol and share some of the different versions I have found and photographed during my cemetery walks.

As the name implies, weeping willows commonly symbolize grief and mourning. They are a very common Victorian-era cemetery symbol. Adopted from the Ancient Greeks, the weeping willow can represent immortality and life after death. Weeping willows are sometimes associated with the Underworld because, in Greek mythology, Orpheus brought with him a willow branch on his travels to the Underworld to save Eurydice from Hades.¹ The symbolism of immortality stems from the fact that willow trees are very hardy, and can survive heavy damage.

Pine Grove Cemetery, Sault Ste Marie ON ©2019

Merrill Cemetery, Roseneath ON ©2022

Martin’s Mennonite Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo ON ©2022

Kinzie-Biehn Cemetery, Kitchener ON ©2019

A variety of the weeping willow motif you might find is a weeping willow standing beside a gravestone. I love the idea of a gravestone on a gravestone.

Martin’s Mennonite Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo ON ©2022

East Oakwood Cemetery, Oakwood ON ©2022

Martin’s Mennonite Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo ON ©2022

Another variation you might come across is of a weeping willow and urn. The urn represents death itself, and the willow again symbolizes grief.² This motif was a popular gravestone symbol of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. You might also see weeping willows paired with a lamb or a cross.³ I have yet to come across these variations.

I noticed that the majority of the ones I found were in Southern Ontario. As I explore more Ontario cemeteries this summer, I hope I will come across a few more to photograph. I would love to find some more variations on the symbol. If you have any suggestions for where I might look, I would love to hear about them in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

References:

Understanding Cemetery Symbols: A Field Guide for Historic Graveyards by Tui Snider
Mastering Cemetery Iconography | The Academy at Penguin Hall
Stories in Stone: The Complete Guide to Cemetery Symbolism by Douglas Keister

A Collection of Obelisks

Posted on August 21, 2022August 28, 2022 Posted in CollectionsTagged Algoma District, Canada, Canadian Cemeteries, Cemetery, Cemetery Blog, Cemetery Photography, Cemetery Symbols, Church of Mary Cemetery, East Oakwood Cemetery, Egyptian Revival, Egyptian Revival Architecture, Funerary Art, Funerary Symbols, Gordon Cemetery, Gore Bay, Gravestone, Headstone, Jocelyn, Kirkfield, Lake View Cemetery, Manitoulin District, Manitoulin Island, Monument, Mountain Maple Grove Cemetery, Oakwood, Obelisk, Ontario, Orillia, Sailor's Encampment, Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Cemetery, St. Josephs Island, Symbolism, Taphophile, Tombstone, Truncated Obelisk, Vaulted ObeliskLeave a comment

I am in the midst of working on a blog post about my adventures searching for the grave of Tom Thomson in Algonquin Park. I’m hoping to have it up in the next week or two. In the meantime, I thought I would take a look at some Egyptian revival architecture that can sometimes be found in cemeteries, more specifically—obelisks.

Obelisks are Egyptian in origin, but became a popular Christian funerary symbol. They are now a common sight in most cemeteries. I have found quite a few in my cemetery travels and wanted to share some of them with you today.

In Understanding Cemetery Symbols, Tui Snider notes that obelisks became popular symbols after Napoleon invaded Egypt in the late 1700s. An obelisk is thought to represent a ray of light, but it can also symbolize focused spiritual goals, with the wide base narrowing to a point, symbolizing the deceased reuniting with God at death, and the two becoming one.

Different variations of obelisks can be found throughout a cemetery. For example, Truncated obelisks do not come to a sharp point at the top, but are flat or topped with another symbol like a cross, urn or an orb.

Obelisks can sometimes be found at the center of a family plot, representing the family’s connection to God. They are particularly well suited for this, as there is generally a lot of room on all four sides of the stone to inscribe the names of family members.

Truncated obelisk, topped with a latin cross. The obelisk sits in the centre of a family plot. Church of Mary Cemetery, Sailor’s Encampment ON ©2022

You might also find vaulted obelisks. These stones have points on all four sides at the top instead of coming to one point.

References:

Understanding Cemetery Symbols: A Field Guide for Historic Graveyards by Tui Snider
Stories in Stone: The Complete Guide to Cemetery Symbolism by Douglas Keister

Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle

Tag: East Oakwood Cemetery

A Collection of Weeping Willows

A Collection of Obelisks