Spear of Destiny - an odd question.

[yabyum24]

I'm interested if anyone here can help clear up a puzzle which occurred this weekend. On visiting an original Tudor mansion house, I encountered two opposing frescos.

The first read "The wheel of fortune, whose ruler is ignorance". It depicted a buxom lady, lifting her long dress provocatively, whilst standing below a symbolic wheel. It reminded me of the famous opening sequence of Orff's Carmina Burana.

It also brought to mind the Tibetan Wheel of Life, powered by the three poisons, of which the chief one is ignorance.

Opposite this fresco was another which read "The Spear of Destiny, whose ruler is knowledge". This depicted a lady holding the orb of the earth above her in one hand with a pair of masonic looking callipers in the other

This I have no idea about. I'd like to dismiss up front any Hitler conspiracy stuff please, as I've waded through this material online. These frescos are very old and predate anything like that (obviously).

It is taught that both blood and water came from the pierced side of Christ - divine and human. But why should this spear's ruler be knowledge - and depicted as an obvious antidote to ignorance?

[Zhongyongdaoist]

I'm interested if anyone here can help clear up a puzzle which occurred this weekend. On visiting an original Tudor mansion house, I encountered two opposing frescos.

 

The first read "The wheel of fortune, whose ruler is ignorance". It depicted a buxom lady, lifting her long dress provocatively, whilst standing below a symbolic wheel. It reminded me of the famous opening sequence of Orff's Carmina Burana.

 

It also brought to mind the Tibetan Wheel of Life, powered by the three poisons, of which the chief one is ignorance.

 

Opposite this fresco was another which read "The Spear of Destiny, whose ruler is knowledge". This depicted a lady holding the orb of the earth above her in one hand with a pair of masonic looking callipers in the other

 

This I have no idea about. I'd like to dismiss up front any Hitler conspiracy stuff please, as I've waded through this material online. These frescos are very old and predate anything like that (obviously).

 

It is taught that both blood and water came from the pierced side of Christ - divine and human. But why should this spear's ruler be knowledge - and depicted as an obvious antidote to ignorance?

 

The depiction of Virtue and Vice as two woman is very old and a recurring theme that became very popular in the Renaissance. In the Tarot it was brought together in some versions of the card 'the Lovers'.

 

Orff's 'O Fortuna' is a song in praise of the Moon as the ruler of shifting fortune and fortune was one of the names of the Moon in the Middle Ages, thus the 'Part of Fortune' in traditional astrology was actually the 'Part of the Moon' and its was not a source of 'money' as it was misinterpreted in the Nineteenth Century, but by its position, dignity and aspects, represented good or bad fortune.

 

Virtue is represented as having calipers because calipers are used to measure and the source of virtue is proper 'measure'. The 'Spear of Destiny' may appear as part of the symbolism here because of its association with the Grail Legends and in particular that of Parsifal:

 

Parsifal is a mythical figure who is associated with Arthurian legend.

Parsifal, or Sir Percivale, first appears as a prince embarked on a sacred quest for the Holy Grail in the collection of Welsh tales based on earlier tradition, known as the Mabinogion where he's called Peredur.

The first work devoted entirely to the Parsifal legend is Perceval le Gallois by the French poet Chrétien de Troyes; in this unfinished 12th-century poem, Parsifal locates the Grail and heals its dying custodian.

In Parzival, an epic by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the story is given more precise form; it is on this that the German composer Richard Wagner based his opera Parsifal. By the 15th century, the Morte d' Arthur by the English writer Sir Thomas Malory depicts Parsifal as a knight of King Arthur's Round Table, who, with Sir Galahad and Sir Bors, finds the Grail.

 

The Holy Grail appears in the medieval romance of Parsifal (or Parzival, or Percival). As a youth, Parsifal sets forth to achieve knighthood at King Arthur's court. On the way he reaches the castle of the Fisher King, a renowned angler. The Fisher King, Parzival's uncle (although unknown to him), is custodian of the Holy Grail and of the spear that wounded Christ on the cross. Because of his sinful ways, the Fisher King has been struck dumb on coming into the presence of the sacred chalice. When Parsifal enters the castle he witnesses a procession in which the bleeding spear and the Holy Grail pass before the speechless king. Astonished, Parsifal fails to ask any questions concerning the strange pantomime, not knowing that if he, a pure and guileless soul, had spoken, his uncle would have been healed. After many wanderings, Parsifal returns to the Grail Castle, welds together a broken sword or (in another version) restores the power of speech to his uncle, and succeeds him as king. (Parsifal in Medieval Legend, Emphasis mine, ZYD)

 

A card representing the shifting Wheel of Fortune is also found in the Tarot. This is a good look at Virtue and Vice in the card, the Lovers:

 

Early versions of the Symbolism of The Lovers

 

I took a humorous look at the card Wheel of Fortune which includes three video versions of Orff's 'O Fortuna' here:

 

Know your Latin or else!

 

I hope this is helpful.

[yabyum24]

The 'Spear of Destiny' may appear as part of the symbolism here because of its association with the Grail Legends and in particular that of Parsifal:

Thanks for that. It may well be the case.

[Apech]

King Arthur had a spear called Ron.

 

http://www.geocities.ws/dagonet_uk/weaponry.htm#SPEAR

[Taiji Bum]

Got any photos? If it is masonic, I can probably decipher it for you.

[joeblast]

one other note, Percival was just about the only one who remained chaste and thus worthy of finding the grail in the first place

[thelerner]

We've watered down greek myths in our culture. The originals were quite involved, some long epic stories. I've often felt the Arthurian stories were a longing for those grandiose myths. With only an unseen God the West needed mythological characters to celebrate, warn and aspire too.

[Nungali]

The title had Spear of Destiny ... in it, but there is no spear in the picture? Is one to assume the calipers are the spear or the whole picture is about the idea or concept behind Spear of Destiny? . Yes, perhaps measuring virtue.

 

As far as I know, (aside from the myth) there is no 'operative' spear in the Masonic rituals ??? A compass may equate (by usage in ceremony and in the death of the Master) but I doubt their esoteric symbolism matches ? For me the compass symbolises a tool whereby to draw our boundary and sphere of operations, this placed on the crossed globe, or over it, seems to represent 'ruling the world' . What made the compass look 'Masonic' (was it symbols on it or your associations) ?

 

Curious title considering the pic -- maybe personally cryptic for the house owner or for the time it was made ? The title doesnt seem to obviously relate to the content.

[Apech]

The title had Spear of Destiny ... in it, but there is no spear in the picture? Is one to assume the calipers are the spear or the whole picture is about the idea or concept behind Spear of Destiny? . Yes, perhaps measuring virtue.

 

As far as I know, (aside from the myth) there is no 'operative' spear in the Masonic rituals ??? A compass may equate (by usage in ceremony and in the death of the Master) but I doubt their esoteric symbolism matches ? For me the compass symbolises a tool whereby to draw our boundary and sphere of operations, this placed on the crossed globe, or over it, seems to represent 'ruling the world' . What made the compass look 'Masonic' (was it symbols on it or your associations) ?

 

Curious title considering the pic -- maybe personally cryptic for the house owner or for the time it was made ? The title doesnt seem to obviously relate to the content.

 

 

I wonder if it is wordplay 'spear' to 'sphere' ... without seeing original hard to say.

[Nungali]

Hmmm ... sphere/spear of destiny ... the world and ... for some .... marriage