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Anchor
The
bearer of the anchor is likely a seafarer of some type
—traditionally military (Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard)
but sometimes also recreational. In maritime lore, the
tattooed anchor showed that a seaman had sailed the Atlantic
Ocean. In
ancient times among Mediterranean seafarers, the anchor
symbolized the sea gods.
Because of the great
importance in navigation, the anchor was regarded in
ancient times as a symbol of safety. The Christians, therefore,
in
adopting the anchor as a symbol of hope in future existence,
merely gave a new and higher signification to a familiar
emblem. In early Christianity, the anchor (with horizontal
tie bar under the ring) was used as
a covert symbol by virtue of its resemblance to a cross.
Indeed, the crux dissimulata is just an anchor.
Many
times the anchor is combined with other symbols that
elaborate something more specific—various creatures
of the sea, ships, lifesavers, names of ports. In general,
though, it guarantees stability and security in the physical
world and by extension also steadfastness, hope, and
trust in the spiritual world.
Ancient
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