Cemeteries: Cities of the Dead - Gravestone Symbolism - Death's Head

Cemeteries: Cities of the Dead

One of the most essential parts of ancestor and spirit work is understanding cemeteries and graveyards. Even if your ancestors didn’t use them, they can still teach you a lot about working spirits of the dead and all the other spirits that reside in them.

Analyzing Gravestones:

Gravestones are a valuable source of information, with inscriptions, floral arrangements, and the type of stone used to construct them all providing essential details. These markers contain a wealth of knowledge that can be used for research and rituals.

Gravestone Symbolism - Death's Head

The death’s head is one of the most common symbols on European and American gravestones—especially in Scotland and New England. The death’s head can be depicted as a skull and crossbones, a skull with wings (usually angel or bird wings), a skull with sexton’s tools, or even a child’s or man’s face with wings. The death’s-head represents grief, despair, and mortality.

The Book of Ancestors has a massive chapter devoted entirely to cemeteries, with an entire gravestone symbolism dictionary - so don’t forget to preorder your copy!