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 Books

Posted on May 10, 2022August 28, 2022 Posted in CollectionsTagged Books, Canada, Canadian Cemeteries, Cemetery, Cemetery Blog, Cemetery Photography, Cemetery Symbols, Doon Presbyterian Cemetery, Funerary Art, Funerary Symbols, Gordon Cemetery, Gore Bay, Gravestone, Headstone, Huntsville, Iconography, Kitchener, Lasalle Cemetery, Locks Cemetery, Manitoulin Island, Northern Ontario, Ontario, Southern Ontario, Sturgeon Falls, Sudbury, Symbolism, Taphophile, Tombstone, Union Cemetery2 Comments

I love books! I am a big reader and have a large book collection at home, but I love finding stone books among the tombstones while wandering a cemetery. I find them very interesting and love trying to interpret what they mean.

Books can be both decorative or a representation of something. You can sometimes find a book being used as a decorative device to display the name of the deceased along with the birth and death dates. An open book can sometimes represent the human heart, as in it’s emotions are open to the world. An open book may also symbolize a life that has been cut short, before getting to the last page. Another variation of this is an open book with a cloth draped across it. This also represents a life cut short, the veil of death having bookmarked the person’s last chapter before the book is finished being written. A closed book might represent a long life, lived to the last chapter.

Any book found in a cemetery may represent the bible. Sometimes you may even find the words “Holy Bible” engraved on the book.

In my experience, books are not as common as some other funerary symbols, like hands and lambs. I love to photograph them when I do find them. I wanted to share some of my favorites with you today.

Lasalle Cemetery, Sudbury ON ©2020

Locks Cemetery, Huntsville ON ©2022

This example also shows a portrait cover and holder for tissues. Lasalle Cemetery, Sudbury ON ©2016

Gordon Cemetery, Gore Bay ON ©2019

Doon Presbyterian Cemetery, Kitchener ON ©2019
Doon Presbyterian Cemetery, Kitchener ON ©2019

Union Cemetery, Sturgeon Falls ON ©2021

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

A Collection of Lambs

Posted on February 27, 2022January 20, 2023 Posted in CollectionsTagged Canada, Canadian Cemeteries, Capreol, Capreol Cemetery, Cemetery, Cemetery Blog, Cemetery Blogger, Cemetery Photographer, Cemetery Photography, Cemetery Symbols, Cemetery Travel, Commanda Cemetery, Doon Presbyterian Cemetery, Eyre Cemetery, Funerary Art, Funerary Symbols, Gravestone, Headstone, Iconography, Kitchener, Lamb, Lambs, Lasalle Cemetery, Nipissing Township, Nipissing Union Cemetery, North Bay, Northern Ontario, Ontario, Pioneer Cemetery, Stories in Stone, Sudbury, Symbolism, Taphophile, Terrace Lawn Cemetery, Tombstones2 Comments

I love exploring cemeteries and looking at the different symbols used on tombstones. If you spend a lot of time in cemeteries, especially in Northern Ontario, you will start to notice the repetition of certain symbols and motifs. One of the most common symbols I find, is the lamb.

Lambs represent innocence and sacrifice, as they were often used in sacrificial ceremonies in ancient times¹. Most often you will find lambs on the gravestones of infants and children, as Jesus is often depicted as a Shepherd, and also known as the “lamb of God”. Some variations can be found with lamb symbolism. A robed figure with a standing lamb beside it most often represents John the Baptist, who had called Jesus the “lamb of God”¹. A lamb with a cross is known to represent the Lamb of God or Agnus Dei², symbolizing the suffering of Christ as he sacrificed himself for the sins of mankind. Several other symbols may be found with a lamb to symbolize the lamb of God – such as a banner, halo, shepherds crook, and alpha and/or omega symbols². A single seated lamb symbolizes an innocent soul. A seated lamb can sometimes be found sitting in front of a tree stump, this often symbolizes a life cut short.

Finding lambs is often sad, but they are a beautiful symbol. I have photographed many over the years and wanted to share some of them with you today.

References:

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

Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle

Tag: Kitchener

A Collection of Weeping Willows

A Collection of Books

A Collection of Lambs