Signs and symbols in art. Signs and symbols Since primitive times, various types of images (sculptural, pictorial, graphic) have been symbolic
Use of the Symbol when creating tombstones monuments allows you to convey a wide range of meanings, one way or another associated with a deceased person. It should be noted that the use of symbols differs from the simple transmission of information in the form of a text by an incomparably greater semantic richness. The perception of this or that symbol is a purely individual process, even despite the established rules for their interpretation. By means of decoding the tombstone symbol, a person independently forms an idea of a deceased person.
There is a huge number of historically formed funeral tombstone symbols of various nature - ethnic, professional, indicating social status, age, certain personal qualities, era, but primarily religious.
The following is an indicative list of the most common symbols used in the creation of tombstones. Symbols are combined into groups according to the nature of the elements used. At the end is a list of Latin quotations most commonly used in the creation of Catholic tombstones.
geometric symbolism
A circle- a pre-Christian symbol, whose original meaning was also adopted by the Christian religion. A universal symbol of Eternity and Eternal Life, extremely common on tombstones. Its most common form is a cross in a circle (Celtic cross). Two circles - one above the other - symbolize the earth and the sky. Three interconnected circles symbolize the Trinity.
Equilateral triangle / Trefoil / Triquetra ("Gothic rosette", a triangle of three arcs) - Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity. It can also look like a triangle in a circle, a triquetra in a circle, a circle in a triangle. In addition, the triangle is used for the symbol of the "All-Seeing Eye" (an eye in an equilateral triangle). The All-Seeing Eye enclosed in a triangle and a circle symbolizes the eternity of the Holy Trinity.
Pyramid- a symbol of eternity. It was believed that this symbol prevents the influence of dark forces on the grave.
Square- symbolizes earthly existence. On some monuments, you can see a square inverted with a rhombus, indicating with its angles the direction of the earth and sky.
Pentagram- a five-pointed star, drawn with one stroke of the pen, containing an equilateral pentagon, in Christianity personifies the five wounds of Christ. ancient symbol, used by the Babylonians, whose origin is not exactly known. In pre-Christian times, the Celts called the pentagram the "witch's footprint", In the Middle Ages it was also called the "goblin cross" and the seal of Solomon (an interesting variation, in addition, the pentagram symbolized the five senses). In the Middle Ages, the symbol was actively used by alchemists and researchers. It is believed that the pentagram protects against the effects of dark forces and demons, as well as the pentagon. Also used by Wicca representatives. In Judaism, the pentagram symbolizes the five books of Moses.
Star of David- the generally accepted symbol of Judaism, a six-pointed star formed from two triangles, personifies divine protection. The oldest symbol used in Greece and some states of Asia Minor. In the Middle Ages, it was also used by alchemists as a symbol of fire and water. Star of David received wide use as a symbol of Judaism only at the beginning of the 20th century with the light hand of the Jewish activist Theodore Hertzel.
Swastika (Crux Dissimulata)- one of the oldest and most widespread symbols, has several ways of writing. It represents the sun, fire, the circle of life and the four cardinal directions. The exact origin of the symbol has not been established, it was known in ancient Asia, and it is believed that it was from there that it passed to the Germanic tribes. The cross inscribed in a circle also symbolizes the direction of the earth and sky and the self-improvement of man. AT different cultures has its own specifics: in Buddhist memorials it symbolizes the doctrine of the Buddha, in China it also has two forms - male and female (clockwise / counterclockwise). Used by the Romans, and, as everyone knows, was a symbol of Nazi Germany ...
Cross (crucifixion) is a unifying symbol of various areas of Christianity, personifies the sacrifice of Christ, the resurrection and the faith itself.
There are many different forms of the Christian cross:
Latin cross ("God's sign")- one of the oldest symbols of Christianity, as well as one of the simplest and most common forms (I must say that it only wins due to the brevity of design).
Calvary(three-step) cross - a Latin cross, set on three steps, symbolizing faith, hope and love (or mercy). In Catholic culture, the tradition of decorating the Latin Calvary cross with a wreath of roses or lilies is very common. By itself, a pink wreath symbolizes rewarded virtue and beauty, a wreath of lilies - purity and purity, a frontal wreath can also symbolize Eternity, creating, together with the Latin cross, the shape of the Celtic.
Celtic (Irish) cross- this is a cross enclosed in a circle, personifying Eternity or Eternal Life. The legend of St. Patrick is associated with this shape of the cross,
who drew a cross in a circle on the sacred stone of the Goddess of the Moon and blessed it.
Eastern cross- belongs to the Orthodox (Orthodox) Church and is accepted in Russia and Greece. This cross has two additional details on top and bottom: on top -
a plate with the inscription "Jesus Christ - the king of the Jews", below the crossbar, which touched the feet of the crucified Christ.
Gothic cross ("Fleuree")- all four sides of this cross expand like petals, symbolizes an adult, mature Christian.
Cross - shamrock ("Botonee")- three sides of this cross end with a modified image of a shamrock, symbolizing the Trinity (found
and Orthodox cemeteries).
Greek cross- all four sides of this cross are of equal length. This form of the cross sends us back to the pre-Christian era, when its four equal sides
symbolized the four elements - earth, air, fire and water.
Ionic cross- similar in shape to the Celtic cross, but its sides expand like a Gothic one. There are at least three more peculiar forms of the cross found on tombstones.
Andreevsky cross- cross in the form of " X» According to legend, St. Andrew could not allow himself to be crucified on a cross similar to the cross of Jesus, so he begged the tormentors to be crucified on a cross of this form.
Egyptian/Coptic cross- ankh, a symbol of Eternal Life, indeed found on Catholic tombstones.
Teutonic/Maltese cross- looks like an equilateral Gothic cross. On theMoscow Vvedensky cemetery, almost all of the listed forms are presentedcrosses, often not only in their pure form, but also with very interesting and spectacular variations.
"Object" symbols
Angel- cemetery "classics", a symbol of spirituality. In the canonical Christian perception, angels - "messengers of the Lord" guard the graves, accompany the souls of the dead, and pray for those who have fallen into Purgatory. Two of them are easily recognizable - these are the archangels Michael and Gabriel, saints especially revered by the Catholic Church: Michael is usually depicted with a sword, Gabriel with a trumpet (the sign of the Day of Judgment). The angels depicted without these artifacts mostly belong to the countless host of guardian angels, family and, so to speak, personal.
Arch (or rainbow)- the victory of Life over Death, or victory in death (“trampling death by death ...”), the path to Heaven, the transition from life through death to Eternal Life.
Harp- a symbol of piety and hope. Refers to St. Cecilia, the patroness of musicians.
All-seeing eye- "The Lord is omnipresent." The "all-seeing eye", enclosed in a triangle, symbolizes the Trinity.
Cherub head- personification of the soul.
burning lamp- The Eternal Flame or the immortal soul of man.
Children- usually symbolize the untimely death of an innocent. Often this is the death of parents (or one of them), mourned by children. The image of a child holding a skull indicates a children's grave. Often children are depicted with garlands of flowers - roses or lilies (both flowers symbolize purity).
Drapery- a symbol of grief and mourning.
Female figure (mourner)- the canonical tomb motif is as common as angels. It makes no sense to explain that she personifies grief from the loss of a loved one, unfading love, humility and faith.
Sunset- extinction of life, death.
Star- a symbol of the life of Christ, his five wounds. In a broader sense, a symbol of spirituality, the Eternal Light, piercing the darkness of oblivion. The five-pointed star symbolizes the pure soul ascending into the sky...
Celtic knot- resurrection and Eternal Life.
Keys- symbolize spiritual knowledge. In the hands of an angel or saint (St. Peter) means the keys to Paradise
Book- a prayer book, the bible, the Book of Life, can also symbolize knowledge or even memory. Usually shown open. May indicate the "professional" affiliation of the priest.
Crown- immortality, a symbol of honor and glory. May be depicted in the hands of angels.
Crown crowning the cross- a symbol of the sovereignty of the Lord.
Spit- death as the "harvest of the Lord", the personification of Death - the Grim Mower
winged wheel- personification of the Holy Spirit.
winged ball- originally a symbol of Ra, the Egyptian sun god. In the Victorian era, it was transformed into a Christian symbol, personifying the life-giving power of the Lord.
winged skull- a very old symbol, later turned into the head of a cherub as the personification of the soul of the deceased, ascending to Heaven.
Jug- a traditional Jewish symbol: a jug for washing the hands of the high priests.
labyrinth- life path.
Menorah- a Jewish symbol of the presence of God, a candlestick with seven candles, symbolizing the seven days of creation.
Obelisk- the Egyptian universal form of the monument, revived in the 19th century.
Hourglass- symbolize the inevitable passage of time, the transience of life, death and eternity. An hourglass lying on its side means that time has stopped for the deceased; The hourglass with wings symbolizes the rapid flight of time...
Flame- Eternity.
broken ring- the loss of a family member.
destroyed column(may be decorated with a flower garland) - life cut short too soon, loss of the head of the family, decay and decline.
Shell- the tradition of using shells in funeral rituals is rooted in hoary, even pre-Egyptian antiquity. The shell is a symbol of fertility and abundance, rebirth and wanderings. There is an old custom to leave small pebbles, coins and shells in cemeteries as a token of remembrance...
Dawn, rising sun- renewed, regenerated Life.
Sarcophagus, coffin- mortality, perishability of all things.
Candle- Life. extinguished candle- lost life...
Scroll- a symbol of life and time. Both ends, twisted up, show the unknowability of the past and future and the uncertainty of the life span ("The ways of the Lord are inscrutable"). In the hand of an angel means that life is recorded by him. It can also symbolize recognition and remembrance.
Heart- a traditional symbol of love, courage and reason, a flaming heart personifies exceptional religiosity. The heart, enclosed in a crown of thorns, symbolizes the suffering of Christ. The heart pierced by the sword symbolizes the Virgin Mary at the moment when she hears Simeon's prophecy about the birth of Christ (“And the sword will pierce your soul ...”), this symbol can also personify mercy. Two interconnected hearts represent the bonds of marriage.
Crossed swords- death in battle.
Sleeping Sculpture- a dream is a thread between Life and Death. A sleeping child personifies purity, naturalness, innocence.
shell sash(rounded, resembling a flower) - a symbol of pilgrimage, wandering, eternal life, birth and resurrection. The traditional symbol of the Puritans, which arose as a sign of a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James, when the shell was hung around the neck as a pendant.
Arrow or figure with an arrow- mortality
Tao symbol(Yin / Yang) - oddly enough, this symbol of the unity of opposites is also found on Christian tombstones ...
Pipes- a symbol of victory and salvation on Judgment Day.
Urn is a widely used symbol of mourning. Initially, in ancient times, the urn was a receptacle for the ashes of the deceased. Starting from the middle of the 19th century, a symbolic tomb composition representing an angel (or a weeper) bent over an urn with ashes, decorated with drapery or a flower garland, became widespread.
Torch- duplicates the symbol of a lamp, candle, lamp: Eternal Life of the soul.
Extinguished torch- physical death.
Cherubim(children angels) - usually designate children's graves.
Scull(with crossed bones), a dancing skeleton - "Memento mori" - a traditional symbol of death.
Anchor(or a cross and an anchor) - an early Christian symbol from the time of the catacomb church, a disguised symbol of the cross (it's funny that as a result it is upside down). In the words of Christ, "hope is the anchor of the soul." Often depicted sandwiched between rocks. An anchor with a broken chain symbolizes an interrupted life. It can also simply indicate the professional affiliation of the deceased.
Image hands it is quite possible to single out in separate section:
Outstretched hands- a plea for mercy.
blessing hand- Blessings to those who remain.
Hand pointing up symbolizes the hope for the mercy of the Lord, confirms life after death.
Hand pointing down symbolizes sudden death.
Hands holding a chain with a broken link- a symbol of the loss of one of the family members.
Hand of God pulling a link from a chain- means that He takes the soul of the deceased to himself.
Hands holding an open bible- symbolize the Christian faith.
clenched hands- last goodbye. Unity and love even after death. This symbol has an interesting detail: as a rule, the right hand holds the left, the left hand is the hand of a woman, wife, often this can be determined by the cuff. Clenched hands and heart represent mercy.
Two hands touching with thumbs- an interesting symbol, meaning the wish for a long life and prosperity and related to Judaism. At the end of a service in Orthodox synagogues, this gesture is a blessing.
Animals
Butterfly- soul / short life. A rather rare symbol, most often found on the graves of children. The symbol of the resurrection of Christ, three stages: caterpillar - chrysalis - butterfly represent life - death - resurrection.
Squirrel holding a nut in its paws- religiosity, spiritual search
Dove- Holy Spirit. The image of a white dove is taken from the episode of the baptism of the Lord in the Gospel of John. The dove, depicted with an olive branch, symbolizes hope.
Dolphin- Sunday.
The Dragon- the dragon defeated by St. George - a symbol of victory over sin.
Snake- a snake twisted in a ring and biting its own tail, symbolizes Eternity.
Whale- motherhood.
a lion- personifies the power of God and forever protects the grave and soul of the deceased from dark forces. In addition, it symbolizes courage, courage and, like most Christian symbols, resurrection.
Horse- courage and generosity. In addition, the following "equestrian" saints are represented in Catholicism: St. George, St. Martin, St. Maurice and St. Victor.
Frog- worldly joys and sins, on the other hand, it can also symbolize the resurrection
Deer- faith, spiritual search / Christ who defeated Satan.
Eagle- the symbol of St. Peter. May indicate military career deceased. Courage, valor.
Peacock / Phoenix- symbolize resurrection, immortality and spiritual beauty.
Rooster- awakening, resurrection.
Birds in flight- the symbol of the "winged soul", Eternal Life, is often used on the graves of children. The tradition of depicting the soul in the form of a bird dates back to the ancient Egyptian civilization. Later, wings began to be depicted as a symbol of the divine mission.
Fish- indicates faith
Dog- a kind of symbol, meaning that the owner deserved love
Owl- the traditional symbol of wisdom.
Lamb- one of the favorite Christian symbols and one of the favorite symbols for designating a children's grave. Symbolizes purity, innocence and humility. It is curious that, being one of the fundamental symbols of Christianity, personifying the sacrifice of Christ, it originally arose in Egyptian mythology...
Plants.
Wreath, garland- originally, an ancient pre-Christian symbol of victory and recognition. It was taken by the Christian religion as a symbol of victory through the atonement of sins, and is currently one of the most common memorial motifs.
abstract tree- Tree of Life.
abstract flower- the fragility of life.
Acanthus- divine garden. One of the oldest tomb motifs, reminiscent of the rocky lands where the Greek cemeteries were located.
Pineapples and figs- prosperity, Eternal Life
Pansies- a symbol of humility and memory.
Hawthorn- hope, joy, a symbol of spring.
Oak- a symbol of Christ, it is believed that his cross was made of oak. In pre-Christian times, the Druids worshiped the oak tree as the Tree of Life. On the other hand, as a grave decoration, oak leaves and acorns symbolize strength, power (especially military), victory.
Honeysuckle- devoted love and tenderness, generosity.
Dogwood- a symbol of Christianity, a divine sacrifice, resurrection, the triumph of Eternal Life.
Cypress- Romanesque pre-Christian tradition. As a sign of mourning, the house was decorated with cypress branches while the body of the deceased was there, it was laid on cypress branches before burial. According to one version, the cypress symbolizes hope and memory. Cypress trees have been and remain an indispensable part of Mediterranean cemeteries.
Bunch of grapes with leaves- Christian faith (grapes are one of the symbols of Christ).
Crocus- youth.
Signs and symbols From primitive times, various types of images (sculptural, pictorial, graphic) were sign and symbolic codes that were used by ancient people to perform rituals, preserve and transmit information. Any significant sound, gesture, thing, event can be either a sign or a symbol.
Signs and symbols Signs are generally accepted symbols for objects, phenomena, and actions. Examples of signs are road signs or symbols on maps, SOS horns or ambulance sirens, most different gestures etc.
Signs and Symbols A symbol can be denoted by a number, a property, a form. For example, the number 7 is a symbol of perfection and completeness (seven days in each phase of the moon, seven colors of the rainbow, seven notes, seven days of the week, seven virtues, seven deadly sins, seven sacraments Hieronymus Bosch (c) Seven deadly sins
Signs and Symbols Art speaks to people in the language of symbols. The symbol in art is in an artistic way that embodies an idea. A symbol, like a riddle, is multi-valued, its meanings can be revealed indefinitely, unlike a sign, which is understood by everyone in the same way. The depth of understanding of the symbol depends on the person's ability to interpret, on his erudition and intuition. Hieronymus Bosch (About) Triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights.
Signs and symbols of S. Botticelli "The Annunciation" There were epochs in history when people especially often turned to symbols in art. In the Middle Ages, the aspiration of man to God was of particular interest. Therefore, the things that surrounded a person interested the artist only to the extent that they were connected with the meaning of Holy Scripture. Many medieval paintings depict a cup, grapes (wine) and bread as symbols of the sacrament of communion; lily or iris flowers symbol of Our Lady.
Signs and symbols The choice of color, color is also symbolic: red-brown was a symbol of everything earthly (clay, earth); the red color of shed sacrificial blood, the fire of faith; blue or blue symbolized everything heavenly, holy; and green is the color of hope, the color of life, a symbol of consolation, rebirth to a new life. Trinity. Andrei Rublev.
Signs and symbols From the fifteenth century. the things depicted in the picture are endowed at the same time with a double meaning, religious and everyday. In the religious, the traditional divine symbolism of the Middle Ages continues. In everyday life, the usual significance of a thing in a person’s daily life is manifested.
Giuseppe Recchi. Still life with five senses. Giuseppe Recchi, master of still lifes, solved this problem as a true follower of laconism in one picture. On a small table, he laid out several objects that personified the five senses of a person: a lute - hearing, a notebook with notes - vision, a dish of izhei - taste, a spyglass and glasses - another reminder of vision, flowers - smell. For the personification of touch, a small box remained. In the art of Naples, paintings on the themes of the five human senses - hearing, sight, taste, smell, touch - occupied their place. famous paintings Jose de Ribera on the same subject. Ribera's sense of touch was personified by a blind sculptor, smell - by a peasant with garlic, hearing - by a cheerful girl with a tambourine. For each of the feelings there was a separate picture.
Y. Van Streck. Vanity of vanities Many works of the XVII century. are symbolic in nature, which is often conveyed by the objects presented in them: glasses with wine, bread, fish, withered flowers, watches, etc. Sometimes ordinary objects, unusually combined in one composition, are figurative codes that are difficult to decipher. This is especially true for the widespread in the 17th century. still life, called vanitas (vanitas vanity of vanities) and reminding a person of the frailty of his existence.
The skull is a reminder of the inevitability of death. The skull is a reminder of the inevitability of death. Soap bubbles brevity of life and suddenness of death; a reference to the expression homo bulla "man is a soap bubble". Soap bubbles brevity of life and suddenness of death; a reference to the expression homo bulla "man is a soap bubble". cups, playing cards or dice, chess (rarely) a sign of an erroneous life goal, a search for pleasure and a sinful life. Cups, playing cards or dice, chess (rarely) is a sign of an erroneous life goal, a search for pleasure and a sinful life. Hourglass and mechanical clock transience of time. Hourglass and mechanical clock transience of time. Musical instruments, notes brevity and the ephemeral nature of life, a symbol of the arts. Musical instruments, notes brevity and the ephemeral nature of life, a symbol of the arts. Weapons and armor are a symbol of power and might, a designation of what cannot be taken with you to the grave. Weapons and armor are a symbol of power and might, a designation of what cannot be taken with you to the grave. Crowns and papal tiaras, scepters and powers, wreaths of leaves are signs of transient earthly domination, which is opposed to the heavenly world order. Crowns and papal tiaras, scepters and powers, wreaths of leaves are signs of transient earthly domination, which is opposed to the heavenly world order.
Balthasar van der Ast "Fruit Basket" If we assume that here apples symbolize victory over sin, and insects and lizards are often associated with evil, then this ordinary picture has a lot of disguised symbolism. The presence of defects and wormholes, butterflies, dragonflies and flies is very unusual for still lifes. plot - a lizard gnawing an apple that has fallen out of a basket turns into a scene of a struggle between good and evil.
Kiprensky Orest Adamovich - Portrait of Ekaterina Sergeevna Avdulina. Avdulina is wearing a pearl necklace. Pearls in Christian symbolism mean both the wealth of the spirit, and sorrow, sadness. And if Avdulina herself is the embodiment of fragile young beauty and spirituality, then dark thunderclouds and a road that is barely noticeable in the dusk, gently ascending the hill, symbolize a difficult life path and evoke the idea of the fragility and defenselessness of spiritualized beauty in our harsh world. While working on the portrait, the artist had sad thoughts, which can be briefly expressed in the words of Friedrich Schiller: Everything beautiful perishes in the best color, Such is the fate of the beautiful in the world. A folded and lowered fan in the hand symbolizes the disappearance.
Symbols in architecture. For example, the symbolism of Orthodox churches is very expressive. The number of domes on the temple is also symbolic. If the temple has one dome, then it is dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. The two chapters remind us of the dual nature of Christ: God and Man. The three domes of the temple indicate the three persons of the Holy Trinity; The five chapters signify Jesus Christ and the four evangelists; seven chapters, seven holy sacraments and seven Ecumenical Councils; thirteen Jesus Christ and 12 apostles.
Self-portrait in a felt hat. Van Gogh Vincent .. Portraits, landscapes, still lifes, genre scenes of Vincent van Gogh () reflect his rebellious, independent of canons and norms, lonely soul.
W. Van Gogh. Starlight Night. His work is permeated with a sense of acute anxiety and confusion. Difficult inner world the artist is often revealed through symbols. Van Gogh sought to reflect content through expressive, psychologically rich colors.
Symbols in painting. "I tried to express in red and in green terrible passions of man,” said the artist. The emotional intensity was amplified many times over thanks to the technique used by the master of overlaying paint with small dashed lines and the undulating rhythm of their movement. W. Van Gogh. Still Life with Oleander W. Van Gogh. Church in Auvers
Symbols in painting. P. Picasso. Musical instruments. P. Picasso. Violin. Used symbolism in his works and Pablo Picasso (). The characters in his still lifes were often musical instruments. Perhaps this is due to the sophistication of their forms, or perhaps with the desire to synthesize painting and music.
Symbols in the music of N. Paganini "Perpetual Motion" Instrumental pieces "Perretuum mobile" ("Perpetual Motion") by various composers: N. Paganini, F. Mendelssohn, N. Rimsky-Korsakov and others became the symbol of the embodiment of the image of "perpetual motion". Musical art speaks to us in the language of sounds and is filled with secrets. With amazing variety and depth, with the help of a system of signs and symbols, music expresses the richest world of human feelings. Even a single sound, taking into account all its aspects of height, duration, timbre, loudness, is a sign-intonation. It may indicate timidity or confidence, constraint or freedom, tenderness or rudeness.
Symphony 5 by L. Beethoven Symphony 5 by L. Beethoven. A musical sign that becomes a symbol can be called the motive of fate, the grain-intonation from which the entire Symphony 5 of L. Beethoven grows. And such examples in musical art lots of. Symphony No. 5 by L. Beethoven State anthems are musical symbols embodying the unity of the people, their culture, pride in their country.
Homework Pick up works of musical, poetic or visual arts that would tell about any event in your life, about what left a mark in your memory, in the language of signs and symbols. Pick up works of musical, poetic or visual arts that would tell about any event in your life, about what left a mark in your memory, in the language of signs and symbols.
G. BC e. Not preserved.
In the loggias of the building Russian National Library(b. Public) architect Russia put statues of scientists, philosophers, poets of antiquity.
There are ten statues in total: here are Herodotus and Euclid, Cicero and Tacitus, Plato and Homer, Virgil and Euripides, Demosthenes and Hippocrates. The facade is crowned with the figure of the goddess of wisdom, Minerva.
Among them is a statue Hippocrates- the chief doctor of world medicine. In his right hand is a staff entwined with a snake. 
The god of healing - Asclepius (Aesculapius) was also depicted with a staff, around which a snake wraps itself. The snake and the cup, as you know, are the emblem of medicine.
And the image of the daughter of Asclepius Hygieia(on her behalf - hygiene), in St. Petersburg is captured in a fountain. Fountain "Hygieia" was created by sculptor D. Jensen and architect A. Stackenschneider and installed in front of the facade of the Military Medical Academy on the street. Lebedev. 
A statue of a seated Hygieia is installed on the pedestal, her left hand with a bowl is stretched forward, and a snake crawls along her arm, wrapping around her.
Very harmonious monument, one of my favorites.
Fountain with snakes
In the courtyard of the Institute of Experimental Medicine (IEM) on Academician Pavlov Street, there is a fountain by the sculptor I. Bezpalov. A bronze bowl is set in the center of a granite pool. Along the edges are four pedestals on which snakes have curled up. 
According to the book of symbols, a reptile curled up in a ball means not only health, but also prudence, doubt, precaution.
In the same place, by the way, there is a famous monument to a dog, erected on the initiative of Academician I. Pavlov - one of the first monuments to animals.
Apollo
In the Summer Garden there is a statue of Apollo Phoebus - the god of arts and sunlight. A snake wrapped around a tree next to him. This is a copy of an antique original, the famous Apollo Belvedere by the Italian master Paolo Triscorni. 
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Zakharyevskaya st., 23. The house of L. I. Nezhinskaya in the Art Nouveau style. At the entrances there are huge statues of the sun god Ra, and on the walls there is an abundance of decorative elements on the theme of Ancient Egypt. 
By the number of snakes in the design of the facade, this is the most "snake" house in St. Petersburg.
The head of the Gorgon Medusa in the period of classicism and Empire, became traditional decorative element accompanying military fittings in the architecture of buildings and fences. It is a frequent motif in the decoration of fences and bridges in St. Petersburg.
The southern lattice of the Summer Garden overlooking the Moika, architect Charlemagne 
Another figurine of netsuke.
Kiyohime- in Japanese folklore, a girl who turned into a snake from longing for her lover. The Kiyohime netsuke figure is a reminder of a possible retribution for unfulfilled promises. 
The young monk Anchin promised to return, but forgot about Kiyohime, and she had been waiting for his return for a long time.
Seething with anger, she went to the monastery and turned into a huge snake-dragon. Anchin in fear decided to hide from the snake under the bell. However, Kiyohime found it and entwined the bell with the rings of her body. With the fire of hatred, Kiyohime melted the bell and burned the monk, and then left the monastery.
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Guardians - nagas at the entrance to a Buddhist temple in Cambodia 
Sculpture of Buddha sitting on a cobra 
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Sculptural group at Thailand's Suvarnabhumi airport based on the myth of churning (churning) of the Milk Ocean. Deva gods and asura demons churn the Ocean of Milk to obtain the nectar of immortality. amritu.
On one side, the gods pull the snake king Vasuki, and on the other, the asuras.
This brought to the world not only amrita, but also a lot of valuable artifacts.
Fountain in the park on the banks of the Mekong, Vientiane, Laos 
Wat Samphan is the giant Dragon Temple. Thailand 
A stunning temple, which is wrapped around a huge snake-dragon on the outside
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And finally, a "man-made" kite
pharaoh snake
Pharaoh snakes are a series of reactions that are accompanied by the formation of a porous product from the reactants and are accompanied by a rapid evolution of gas. Chemical focus)) 
As a result, the reaction looks as if a large snake crawls out of the mixture of reagents and crawls along the table, like a real one.
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The all-Ukrainian project "Together for Nature" continues to accept applications for participation in the competition of modern sculpture "Symbol of the Carpathians". As a result, they will choose best project and then they will install a sculpture of the Eurasian lynx in Morshyn. You can participate in the competition. And we have found for you the most interesting examples how sculptures became symbols of cities.
The Spoonbridge and Cherry
Where: 726 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The art installation in the form of a giant spoon and a cherry was created in 1985 by artist Claes Oldenburg. It has become the centerpiece of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the largest urban sculpture park in the world.
The spoon itself weighs about two tons, and the cherry weighs 500 kg. The cherry stalk is a fountain that sprays water and then it flows down a spoonful into the pond.
By the way, the reservoir itself is shaped like a linden seed. And this is no coincidence: a lot of linden trees grow next to it.
Cloud Gate
Where: 201 E. Randolph St., Millennium Park, Chicago
Cloud Gate, one of Chicago's most visited attractions, was first shown to the public in 2004 at the opening of Millennium Park. The 'Bob', as Kapoor's work is called, weighs 110 tons and is made up of 168 stainless steel plates. The seams between them are so polished that the sculpture looks monolithic and incredibly light, despite its huge size and considerable weight.
London-based artist Anish Kapoor gave it the name "Cloud Gate" for a simple reason - 80 percent of its surface reflects the sky. And at the bottom of the sculpture is a concave dome, entering which visitors can see their reflection in different perspectives.
LOVE
Where: Avenue of the Americas, 55th Street & 6th Ave, New York
LOVE is considered an icon of pop art, along with the image of Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol's Campbell soup can. The LO over VE design was originally brought to life by artist Robert Indiana in pictorial form when MoMA commissioned him a Christmas card in 1964. In his youth, the artist attended a Christian church, where posters hung that read "God is love." They inspired Indiana to create LOVE: four bold letters in a vibrant color scheme.
In 1970, Indiana replicated the LOVE design in the form of a sculpture that became a symbol of New York City.
Interestingly, Robert Indiana did not register the copyright for his work. In the late 60s, when a huge number of "pirated" versions of LOVE appeared, Indiana tried to copyright his work, but failed.
Der hase
Where: Tiergarthertorplatz, Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany
Nuremberg is a city of rabbits and hares. Here they can be found everywhere, in various incarnations: from figurines and chocolate coins in souvenir shops to art objects. And it is no coincidence.
In 1502, Albrecht Dürer created the Hare drawing. This is one of the first works he signed and dated. The inhabitants of Nuremberg fell in love with the bunny depicted by Dürer so much that copies of the picture appeared in almost every home.
Based on it, in 1984, the German avant-garde artist Jurgen Hertz created the grotesque sculptural composition Der Hase - the figure of a giant bronze rabbit with bulging eyes, crawling out of a wooden box. And next to him lurked a small gilded hare. The sculpture was created as a parody of the famous graphic work Durer and is installed opposite the house-museum of the outstanding artist.
Angel of the North
Where: Durham road, Gateshead, England
Since its installation in 1998, the Angel of the North has become the most recognizable symbol of Gateshead, a city in the North East of England.
This giant 20-meter sculpture with a wingspan of 54 meters and a weight of 208 tons was created by contemporary muralist Anthony Gormley.
They decided to install the sculpture on a hillside, which was not easy, given the peculiarities of its design. The statue must withstand wind speeds of 160 km/h, and therefore required the construction of a concrete foundation 21 meters underground. As a result, the total weight of the structure was 700 tons, of which 500 tons accounted for the foundation, and 200 tons - the weight of the sculpture.
Many residents of Gateshead objected to the statue, believing it would distract drivers and cause traffic accidents on the A1. In addition, the Getshead Post published a scathing article comparing Gormley's work to Albert Speer's Icarus sculpture commissioned by the Nazis in the 1930s.
Despite criticism, the "Angel of the North" was installed and became one of the most famous urban sculptures in the world. Since the statue is located next to one of the largest motorways in the UK, about 90,000 people see it every day.
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History of the sword.
In world history, the origin of the sword is hidden under the impenetrable thickness of centuries. A sword is a type of edged weapon with a straight blade, designed for chopping or chopping and stabbing, in the broadest sense - the collective name for all long bladed weapons with a straight blade.
Since ancient times, swords of various shapes have been known: short and long, wide and narrow, straight and curved, light and heavy, two-handed. In the Bronze Age, swords were made of bronze, in the Iron Age, respectively, of iron.
The sword consists of the following parts: blade, hilt, pommel and guard. The combination of the hilt, guard and pommel is called the hilt. (Fig. 1)
Garda is a detail that protects the hand of a fighter. For most medieval blades, it looks like a crosshair, but there are also cup-shaped (like a rapier), shoe-shaped (like a gladius) or even net-like guards.
The pommel (it is also the head) is the weight on the end of the sword, opposite to the blade. It usually has a more or less spherical shape. It is necessary then to balance the weapon: to shift the center of gravity of the sword from its middle closer to the hand.
What is the sword made of?
Picture 1
What is a blade and a handle, it is probably not required to explain. I note that the blades differ primarily in shape, length and method of sharpening. So, for example, most European blades in the Middle Ages were double-edged and honed from the end, but this is not at all necessary. The lateral cutting-chopping edge of the blade is called the blade, and the piercing end is called the point.
For many centuries, the sword remained the most formidable and most revered type of weapon. The extraordinary popularity of the sword has its reasons. Even if a blow with a sword in terms of penetrating and destructive power cannot be compared with an ax, and the threat radius cannot be compared with a spear or an ax, the sword has several serious advantages.
A warrior with a sword is much less tired than the owner of an unbalanced weapon. A blow consumes a small fraction of the energy that is needed to swing an ax.
It is convenient to parry blows with a sword - in any case, it is more convenient than with a pole weapon, which tends to break at the same time. The sword helps its owner to defend himself. The sword is a fast weapon. Even chopping, he is still quite maneuverable. An important consequence of all this: the sword, better than many types of weapons, allows you to realize an advantage in combat technology.
Warriors of hoary antiquity and the romantic Middle Ages saw in the sword not just a strip of pointed metal that brings death, but something more - a true friend, often endowed with magical properties, and treated him respectfully, like a living being.
AT early middle ages the blacksmith seemed to be an extraordinary being, close to the sorcerer, no doubt because of his ability to make weapons and forge swords.
The symbolism of the sword.
As the main type of weapon, the sword was a symbol of war, strength and power, and as the main instrument of "God's judgment" - the highest justice and justice. And these are only the most important, generally recognized symbolic meanings of the sword. For many peoples who bowed to its magical power, the sword also meant divine intelligence, insight, power, fire, light, division or death. The loss of a sword in battle was tantamount to a loss of strength, so a broken sword symbolized defeat.
AT mythology many deities are armed with formidable punishing swords. Hindu Vishnu, for example, was depicted with a flaming sword in his hands. But everyone was surpassed in this respect by Ruevit, the god of war among the Baltic Slavs: as many as seven swords hang on his belt, and the eighth is raised in his right hand.
One of the ancient Greek legends gave rise to a new symbolic meaning of the sword. A certain Damocles, a favorite of the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius, once openly envied the wealth, power and happiness of his patron. To give Damocles a real idea of the position and fate of the monarchs, Dionysius switched places with him for one day. During the feast, Damocles was seated in the royal place, but a sword was hung over his head on a horsehair. It was then that the envious realized all the illusory nature of the happiness of the crowned bearers. Since then, the expression "sword of Damocles" has become a symbol of impending, threatening danger.
AT heroic epic swords are necessarily endowed with magical power. A special place in folklore is occupied by the treasurer sword, the self-seeder is a wonderful weapon that ensures victory over enemies. But it is very difficult to get such a sword: you must first find it somewhere far away, in a burial mound, and then endure a hard fight with the ghost of the former owner of the sword. Ilya Muromets had to defeat the hero Svyatogor - a gigantic giant who propped up the sky with his head in order to take possession of his treasure sword. The German hero Beowulf rushed into a deep pool, where a terrible woman monster was waiting for him, and in the underwater lair he found a sword of giants glowing from the inside, with the help of which the brave hero struck down a monstrous enemy, invulnerable to conventional weapons. Siegfried killed 700 Nibelungs, two giants and defeated the evil dwarf Albrich in a difficult duel before the wonderful sword Balmung was in his hands.
Enchanted swords are not given to anyone other than those for whom they are intended. Only Arthur, heir to King Uther Pendragon of Britain, succeeds in extracting the enchanted sword from the anvil. The sword of the tragically deceased knight Balin was imprisoned by the magician Merlin in a piece of marble, and no one, except for the sinless knight Galahad, to whom it was intended, could extract it from the stone with any effort.
Sometimes magic swords were a gift from the gods or powerful spirits. King Arthur received Excalibur directly from the hands of the Lady of the Lake. Not only the sword itself, but also its scabbard were endowed with miraculous properties: the one who wore them in battle could not lose a single drop of blood.
The swords, animated by the power of magic, behaved like intelligent living beings. Inciting the owner to fight or revenge, they rang and broke out of their sheaths themselves, not agreeing to return back until they tasted the enemy's blood. Anticipating the death of the owner, the sword grew dull and covered with bloody sweat. If the knight committed an act that stained his honor, the sword, refusing to serve the unworthy, rusted, broke, or simply fell out of his hands.
The sword usually served the owner until his death. The dying, bleeding knight broke the sword so that it would “die” with him and not get to the enemy. Mortally wounded, Arthur orders his comrade-in-arms to throw Excalibur into the waters of a magical lake. Roland, sensing the approach of death, tries to break Durendal against the stones, but his magnificent sword does not even blunt, bouncing off granite blocks with a ringing sound, and then the frantic knight falls on the sword and, covering it with his own body, dies. However, sometimes the legendary sword, anticipating a meeting with a new hero and new amazing feats, stubbornly refuses to die and waits in the wings in a burial mound or in a deep dark cave.
AT religions, especially in Christianity, sometimes the most unexpected symbolic interpretations are given to the sword. So, in Revelation, a double-edged sword, as a symbol of divine wisdom and truth, comes out ... from the mouth of Christ himself. In the Book of Genesis, the fiery sword of the biblical cherub guarding the road to Eden is a symbol of purification. The sword is clutched in the hand by one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse, personifying the war.
In Buddhism, the sword is seen as a symbolic weapon of wisdom, cutting off ignorance. In China, a sword in the hands of guardian gods is considered a talisman for the whole family: on New Year's Eve, the Chinese hang posters with images of such gods on the doors of their houses.
In Western European iconography, where the sword appears primarily as an instrument of martyrdom, it is an attribute of many saints. The sword pierces the chest of St. Justina, Euphemia and Peter the Martyr, the neck of Lucia and Agnes, the head of Thomas Becket and the book in the hands of St. Boniface, also fallen by the sword. The image of the Virgin Mary closes this sad row, whose chest is pierced by seven swords at once - the seven sorrows of the Mother of God.
Perhaps, in the hands of only one Catholic saint, Martin of Tours, the sword has a completely different semantic meaning. According to church tradition, Martin, who met a soaked and chilled traveler on the road, cut his cloak in half with a sword to shelter the poor man from bad weather. In this case, the sword is a symbol of separation, participation and goodness.
In Byzantine Orthodoxy, Roman warriors-great martyrs, defenders of the Christian faith, are especially revered: Artemy of Antioch, Dmitry of Thessalonica, Mercury, Theodore Tiron, John the Warrior. All of them were depicted with a sword in their hand or at their waist. Armed with a sword and the most warlike of the divine retinue - the archangel Gabriel.
In the Russian Orthodox Church, with a sword symbolizing protection, defense, princes can be depicted - the defenders of the Russian land: Georgy (Yuri) Vsevolodovich, who fell in the battle with the Tatars on the City River (1238), Mstislav the Brave, Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy and others, and also martyr princes slain by the sword: Boris and Gleb.
AT fine arts uh Pohi of the Renaissance, the sword as an attribute is characteristic of a number of figures that allegorically represent human feelings: Courage, Firmness, Anger, Justice, Moderation and Despair. In the last two, he is depicted in a special way: the sword of Temperance is sheathed, which are firmly tied to the hilt to make it difficult to extract it; and for Despair, represented as a woman throwing herself on her own sword, it serves as an instrument of suicide.
AT heraldry the sword emblem may symbolize supreme military authority or justice. The military heraldic sword is usually depicted naked, blade up, except when it is placed in the coat of arms in memory of the fallen - then the sword is pointed at the ground.
In our country, the "punishing sword of the revolution", put into the hands of the employees of the Cheka, then passed to the GPU and the NKVD. In the Stalin era, this sword, which had lost all connection with the principle of socialist legality, turned into an instrument of mass terror. Before the Great Patriotic War, the emblem of a sword cutting a snake adorned the chevron of the Smersh military counterintelligence (“Death to spies!”). In the post-war period, the emblem depicting a shield with two crossed swords became the hallmark of employees of the Ministry of Justice.
In the Middle Ages in Western Europe and Japan there was a real cult of the sword. The main weapon of the knight and samurai gradually acquired a ritual and ceremonial significance. The symbolic birth of a knight was accompanied at the initiation by the triple contact of the sword with the shoulder of the candidate. The whole further life of the knight was inextricably linked with the sword: in battle, the sword served him as a weapon, on the way, the cross-shaped hilt of a sword stuck into the ground became a symbolic crucifix. The sword was an instrument of justice during the "God's judgment" and an instrument of retribution in the execution of death sentences. From the XIII-XIV centuries, the sword, as a symbol of the supreme military power of monarchs, became one of the royal, imperial and princely regalia.
Sword of Victory.
Few people know that one of the most famous and lofty Soviet sculptures - “The Motherland is Calling!”, which is installed in Volgograd on Mamaev Kurgan, is only the second part of the composition, which consists of three elements at once. This triptych (a work of art, consisting of three parts and united by a common idea) also includes the monuments: “Rear to Front”, which is installed in Magnitogorsk and “Warrior-Liberator”, located in Treptow Park in Berlin. All three sculptures are united by one common element - the Sword of Victory.
Two of the three monuments of the triptych are “The Warrior-Liberator” and “The Motherland Calls!” - belong to the hand of one master, monumental sculptor Evgeny Viktorovich Vuchetich, who three times in his work addressed the theme of the sword.
The sculptor himself commented on his adherence to the image of the sword: “I only turned to the sword three times - one sword was raised to the sky by the Motherland on Mamaev Kurgan, calling on her sons to drive out the fascist barbarians trampling Soviet soil. The second sword is held with the point down by our victorious Warrior in Treptow Park in Berlin, who cut the swastika and liberated the peoples of Europe. The third sword is being forged by a man into a plow, expressing the desire of people of good will to fight for disarmament in the name of the triumph of peace on the planet.”
The historical sequence was different. First, the Victorious Warrior was erected (1946-1949, together with the architect Ya.B. Belopolsky), the Motherland was erected on Mamaev Kurgan in 1963-1967 with the same Belopolsky and a group), and the third monument of Vuchetich, which does not apply to this series, was installed in New York in front of the UN Headquarters in 1957. The composition entitled “Let's beat swords into plowshares” shows us a worker who turns a sword into a plow. The sculpture itself was supposed to symbolize the desire of all the people of the world to fight for disarmament and the triumph of peace on Earth.
Monument "Rear - Front"
Figure 2
The first part of the trilogy "Rear to Front", located in Magnitogorsk, symbolizes the Soviet rear, which ensured the country's victory in the Great Patriotic War. The reasons why Magnitogorsk was given such an honor - to become the first Russian city in which a monument to home front workers was erected, should not surprise anyone. According to statistics, every second tank and every third shell during the war years was fired from Magnitogorsk steel
The authors of this monument were the sculptor Lev Golovnitsky and the architect Yakov Belopolsky. Two main materials were used to create the monument - granite and bronze. The height of the monument is 15 meters, while outwardly it looks much more impressive. This effect is created by the fact that the monument is located on a high hill. The central part of the monument is a composition that consists of two figures: a worker and a soldier. On the sculpture, a worker hands over a sword to a Soviet soldier. It is understood that this is the Sword of Victory, which was forged and raised in the Urals. The worker is oriented to the east (in the direction where the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works was located), and the warrior looks to the west. Where the main fighting took place during the Great Patriotic War. The rest of the monument in Magnitogorsk is an eternal flame, which was made in the form of a flower star made of granite.
An artificial hill was erected on the bank of the river to install the monument, the height of which was 18 meters (the base of the hill was specially reinforced with reinforced concrete piles so that it could withstand the weight of the erected monument and not collapse over time). The monument was made in Leningrad, and in 1979 it was installed on the spot. The monument was also supplemented with two man-height trapeziums, on which the names of the inhabitants of Magnitogorsk, who received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the war years, were listed. In 2005, another part of the monument was opened. This time the composition was supplemented with two triangles, on which you can read the names of all the inhabitants of Magnitogorsk who died during the hostilities in 1941-1945 (a little more than 14 thousand names are listed in total).
In the sculpture, a worker hands over a sword to a Soviet soldier. It is understood that this is the Sword of Victory, which was forged and raised in the Urals, later it was raised by the “Motherland” in Volgograd. The city in which there was a radical turning point in the war, and Nazi Germany suffered one of its most significant defeats. The third monument of the “Warrior-Liberator” series lowers the Sword of Victory in the very lair of the enemy - in Berlin.
Monument "Motherland is calling!"
Figure 3
Later, this sword forged in the rear will lift up in Volgograd on Mamaev Kurgan "Motherland". In the place where there was a turning point in the Great Patriotic War. This sculpture was designed by sculptor E. V. Vuchetich and engineer N. V. Nikitin. The sculpture on Mamaev Kurgan is a figure of a woman standing with a sword raised up. This monument is a collective allegorical image of the Motherland, which calls on everyone to unite in order to defeat the enemy.
Monument "Motherland is calling!" is the compositional center of the monument-ensemble "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad", which is located on Mamayev Kurgan. N.S. Khrushchev, approving the project of the monument-ensemble, demanded that the sculpture of the Motherland be higher than the American Statue of Liberty. As a result, Vuchetich had to abandon the original sculpture project - a relatively low figure of the Motherland with a folded banner in his hand. As a result, the height of the sculpture is 52 meters, and the length of the sword is 33 meters.
Initially, the 33-meter sword, which weighed 14 tons, was made of stainless steel in a titanium sheath. But the huge size of the statue led to a strong swaying of the sword, this was especially noticeable in windy weather. As a result of such impacts, the structure gradually deformed, the sheets of titanium plating began to shift, and when the structure swayed, an unpleasant metal rattle appeared. To eliminate this phenomenon, in 1972 the reconstruction of the monument was organized. In the course of the work, the blade of the sword was replaced with another one, which was made of fluorinated steel, with holes made in the upper part, which were supposed to reduce the effect of the windage of the structure.
Motherland crowns a huge hill above the Square of Sorrow in Volgograd. The mound is a bulk mound, about 14 meters high, the remains of 34,505 soldiers - the defenders of Stalingrad - are buried in it. A serpentine path leads to the top of the hill to the Motherland, along which there are 35 granite tombstones of the Heroes of the Soviet Union, participants in the Battle of Stalingrad. From the foot of the mound to its top, the serpentine consists of exactly 200 granite steps 15 cm high and 35 cm wide - according to the number of days of the Battle of Stalingrad. In addition to the figure of the Motherland, a complex of memorial sculptural compositions, as well as a hall of memory, are located near the mound.
Upon completion of the grandiose works of E.V. Vuchetich admitted: “Now the ensemble is completed. Behind this - fifteen years of searching and doubts, sadness and joy, rejected and found solutions. What did we want to say to people with this monument on the historical Mamaev Kurgan, on the site of bloody battles and immortal deeds? We tried to convey, first of all, the indestructible morale of the Soviet soldiers, from selfless devotion to the Motherland.
The monument to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad is a monument to the greatest historical event. This is a monument to the mass of heroes. And therefore, we were looking for large-scale, especially monumental solutions and forms that, in our opinion, would allow us to most fully convey the scope of mass heroism
Monument “Warrior-Liberator”
Figure 4
And already at the end of the composition, “Warrior-Liberator” will lower the sword on the swastika in the very center of Germany, in Berlin, completing the defeat of the fascist regime. A beautiful, concise and very logical composition that unites the three most famous Soviet monuments dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.
The thirteen-meter bronze figure of a soldier personifies the Soviet Army, which took up arms with a holy goal - to liberate their homeland from the invaders, to destroy fascism, which threatened humanity with enslavement, to protect the peaceful labor of people all over the earth. The figure of a young warrior breathes indestructible strength. A small child trustingly clung to the chest of a good giant. The ancient sword, with which the warrior cut the swastika, is a symbol of the protection of a just and noble cause, a symbol of the struggle for people to live happily, so that they work calmly, without fear that the fiery flurry of war will again sweep over the earth. The statue of the warrior-liberator is perfectly perceived from all sides, which is facilitated by its slight turn. The verticals of the cloak thrown over give the figure the necessary stability. The basis of the monument is a green mound, reminiscent of ancient burial mounds. This brings another note to the national melody of the entire ensemble. A bright pedestal of a figure rises on the mound, inside of which a mausoleum is built - the solemn completion of the entire ensemble.
On May 8, 1949, on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, a grand opening of a monument to Soviet soldiers who died during the storming of the German capital took place in Berlin. The monument "Warrior-Liberator" was installed in Berlin's Treptow Park. Its sculptor was E. V. Vuchetich, and the architect was Ya. B. Belopolsky. The height of the warrior sculpture itself was 12 meters, its weight is 70 tons. This monument has become a symbol of the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, it also personifies the liberation of all European peoples from fascism
The sculpture of a soldier was made in the spring of 1949 in Leningrad at the Monumental Sculpture factory, it consisted of 6 parts, which were then transported to Germany. Work on the creation of the memorial complex in Berlin was completed in May 1949. On May 8, 1949, the memorial was solemnly opened by the Soviet commandant of Berlin, Major General A. G. Kotikov.
The monument to Soviet soldiers in the center of Europe will always remind people of the sacred duty of everyone - to tirelessly fight for peace on earth.
CONCLUSION
AT modern society the sword is both a weapon and a cultural symbol, which is reflected in a variety of semantic forms and guises.
The study is devoted to clarifying the reason and the need for such an invariable presence of the sword symbol, the main focus of which is expressed in the question: “what gives such an archaic object to a person in the modern information society and why its presence in culture is inescapable, not only as a weapon.”
The belonging of the sword to culture is due to its presence in all cultural genres and in the repositories of cultural memory. The loss of the utilitarian meaning of the sword did not stop its presence in cultural forms, but determined its existence as a symbol.
The sword is one of the most complex and most common symbols. On the one hand, the sword is a formidable weapon that brings life or death, on the other hand, it is an ancient and powerful force that arose simultaneously with the Cosmic Balance and was its opposite. The sword is also a powerful magical symbol, the emblem of witchcraft. In addition, the sword is a symbol of power, justice, supreme justice, all-pervading reason, insight, phallic strength, light. The sword of Damocles is a symbol of fate. A broken sword is a defeat. Thus, the sword, having left the practical reality, nevertheless, lives in the reality of a fairly large number of people as a symbol and an artifact. Its meaning and role at the sign level practically does not change.
