ymbols and 
ymbolism
ymbols and ymbolism
Terminology: Too many of the terms used in studying signs, symbols, and mythology are used by the writers in different, even careless ways In my annotations and other comments, I have attempted to use the more central terms in the manner indicated in the Introduction. For those persons who have chosen to skip the introductory material or would like a quick reference to the meanings without re-reading the Introduction, the following glossary is provided, including links to alternative definitions. PLEASE NOTE: Given my background in theology and psychology, I follow the distinctions between sign and symbol used in those fields (see Tillich and Jung,) not the reverse (see Saussure) which is generally preferred by the field of anthropology, albeit the latter field has individual exceptions.
Index: - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z -
| TERM | DEFINITION | OTHER DEFINITIONS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antitype | The antitype is the original reality to which a type refers in its significance. | |||
| Archetype | An archetype is a symbol that is found to be common among humans of all cultures, and critically important in its significance, although the precise significance of a particular archetype may vary from one culture to another. | Owen Barfield
C. G. Jung |
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| Figuralism | The word, figuralism, is often used by scholars instead of: Types, q.v. | |||
| Graphic |
A specific type of image is the graphic, which is any 2-dimensional visual image that is reproduced by a human agency through any means or process. (A shortening of the phrase, "graphic image," a seeming redundancy in common speech.) |
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| Image | An image is anything that creates for the audience a mental concept. (Admittedly,a very broad definition.) An image can, thus, be almost anything, as concrete as my wooden, #2 pencil, the landscape viewed through a window, or as broad as an abstract concept such as freedom and its many facets. An image incorporates a mental and emotional concept; it may be reduced to a name (which, in itself, is only a signal,) but that word or phrase is a signal that calls for the symbolic response.
—A visual image, q.v., is any concrete image that is visible, including graphics (q.v.), statuary, architecture, etc. This term may also be used to refer to the physical and/or visible aspects any sign or symbol (apart from its significance.) —A verbal image, seemingly a contradiction of terms, refers to the effect that certain words, especially in combination, within a culture or subculture have upon the persons concerned by way of the symbolic concepts to which the words refer. For devout Christians, the phrase, "the cross," can reduce them to tears or inspire to enormous effort, due not to the sounds of the two syllables nor their denotative meaning, but to the event of which the Cross was a physical part (and hence became a participating symbol thereof) and the rational and emotional connotations which have acculturated unto the symbol in the millenia since the original event. A myth (q.v.) may be considered an extended verbal image. |
Owen Barfield;
James G. Fraser; Erich Kahler; Eugene Raudsepp |
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| Legend | Legends are events or persons thought to be historical but around which/whom other stories have accumulated which may or may not be historical and which originally may or may not have been directly related to the person or event with which they are now associated. | James MacKillop | ||
| Myth | —A myth is a symbolic image, usually a story or other narrative and without regard to whether it is fact or fiction, that points to a greater truth and gives us a deeper understanding of that truth. Myths often are complexes of verbal images.
—Myth, generically, is any story, thing, or person which points to something greater than itself, in which it partakes or with which it has a common, inherent nature. In this sense, the term is a substitute for "verbal symbol." |
Mircea Eliade;
C. G. Jung; Morton T. Kelsey; David Leeming; Rollo May |
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| Mythology | —A mythology is the cumulative or complete collection of myths of one culture, with their interconnections woven together, usually presented in an orderly form.
—Whereas, mythology, in general, is the study of myths and mythologies (def. 1.) |
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| Rite | A rite is, usually, a ritual (q.v.) that has been recognized or authorized by an institution. It is often an act engaged in as much for the purpose of tradition and/or obedience as from a belief in its efficacy. Some authors use rite and ritual interchangibly. | |||
| Ritual | Ritual is any process or routine engaged in because of belief in its efficacy in achieving the participant's desired goal. The ritual is itself a symbol, and yet often it is also a complex of symbolic actions which are themselves, individually, symbols (See Turner, 19.) In this sense, Rituals might better be described as symbolism than as individual symbols. | Victor Turner | ||
| Sign | A sign is anything that points to something beyond itself, and may do so because someone or some organization has so designated its meaning or because it has a cultural or traditional significance. For greater elucidation, see the Road Sign in the Introduction.
(Please note that most anthropologists reverse the meanings of symbol and sign, as given here.) |
C. G. Jung;
Rollo May; Paul Tillich |
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| Signal | —(Noun): A signal is any thing or action which draws forth a specific response, either by its presence or absence, or by its particular configuration. The appropriate response is usually defined by a given authority, including tradition. For instance, with a traffic signal, the specific light (red, yellow, or green) indicates what is the appropriate response, as defined by the traffic authority, for a motorist to make.
—(Adjective): A signal action or thing is anything which bears significance, regardless whether as a signal, a sign, or a symbol. |
James Powell | ||
| Significance | The significance of an image is its meaning, including both cognitive and affective aspects (as opposed to its visual (q.v.) appearance and/or audible sound.) | |||
| Symbol | A symbol is any sign which also has an inherent connection to (participation in) that greater thing or image to which it points. For greater elucidation, see the Road Sign in the Introduction.
(Please note that most anthropologists reverse the meanings of symbol and sign, as given here.) |
Mary LeCron Foster;
Aniela Jaffé; C. G. Jung; C. G. Jung (2); Rollo May; Robert Cummings Neville; Paul Tillich |
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| Symbolism | 1) Symbolism is that which is represented by a sign or symbol, its combined appearance (visual image) and meaning (significance.)
2) Symbolism is an interconnected network of symbols. It is a network that constrains yet guides changes to the symbols it contains. (Foster, Life of Symbols, 5) This definition of symbolism (as opposed to symbols) further points out that symbols must be viewed in the context of their network of symbolism, as well as in the individual context in which they may be used or found. |
Mary LeCron Foster |
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| Symbology | Symbology is the study of symbols and/or signs, in their various manifestations. | |||
| Types or, Typology |
Types are visible, earthly representations of heavenly realities, a kind of symbol. Plato used his famous Cave of Shadows analogy to define his idea of human experience being one of experiencing the "types" (or shadows or reflections) of ideal realities. Charles Williams made literal use of the concept as the main theme in his novel, Place of the Lion. Typology has been a common method of biblical interpretation throughout much of the Church's history, especially for passages that are difficult to understand or seem to offend modern (for the time of interpretation) morality. Typology can refer either to the deliberate use of types in writing or to the interpretation of an image or event as a type. Figuralism is another term for typology. | Ursula Brumm;
Tibor Fabiny |
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| Verbal image | A verbal image, seemingly a contradiction of terms, refers to the effect that certain words, especially in combination, within a culture or subculture have upon the persons concerned by way of the symbolic concepts to which the words refer. For devout Christians, the phrase, "the cross," can reduce them to tears or inspire to enormous effort, due not to the sounds of the two syllables nor their denotative meaning, but to the event of which the Cross was a physical part (and hence became a participating symbol thereof) and the rational and emotional connotations which have acculturated unto the symbol in the millenia since the original event. A myth (q.v.) may be considered an extended verbal image. | |||
| Visual or visual image |
A visual image is any concrete image that is visible, including graphics, statuary, architecture, etc. This term may also be used to refer to the physical and/or visible aspects of any sign or symbol (apart from its significance (q.v.)) |
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