Knights Templar History and Medieval Resources: Knights Templar Symbols and Regalia

When speaking about Templar symbols one must distinguish between the symbols used by the Knights Templar order, as a means of identifying itself and its property, and the symbols used by Templars for various other reasons. This other category includes numerous symbols, some of which were very common in the Middle Ages, so there is nothing unusual in the fact that the Knights used them. In modern Templar myths you can find all sorts of symbols attributed to the Templars. I will only discuss symbols (some of them, of course) for which there is archaeological or manuscript evidence.

The following symbols were used by the Knights Templar as a means of asserting their identity. Sometimes they were combined in a single image (e.g. the cross on a banner)

Beauseant banner



This black and white flag, perhaps signifying the strife between good and evil, was probably the most important symbol for each individual Knight Templar. According to the statutes of the Order, knights were supposed to always be aware of the flag's location on the battle field. Whenever the knights would become scattered and disoriented they were supposed to gather in a formation under Beauseant. If the Templar banner was not visible, the knights headed towards the Hospitaller flag or, lacking one, to any other Christian standard on the battle field.

Two knights on one horse

This famous image of two Templars riding one horse signifies the vow of poverty. The symbol is found on many Knights Templar seals.

Red cross

The red cross symbolized martyrdom. It could be seen on the Knights' Templar garb. This symbol is distinctly different from the White Cross of Hospitallers (who eventually adopted the red cross) and the black cross of the Teutonic Order.

Temple Dome



There are various theories regarding the identity of the dome seen on many templar seals. It may be the Dome on the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, or simply a representation of the original Temple of Solomon.

Anyone familiar with history of Christianity knows that the symbol of the cross was used in a variety of different ways. And even prior to the time of Crusades thee were stories about crosses showing up on garments. There could have been nothing more suitable for Crusading armies than implementing crosses as a visual distinction. Abbot Guibert in his History of Jerusalem (1.5) says that Pope Urban II instituted this sign both as a sign of military distinction and a symbol that would help Christian knights fight better for God's cause. The Abbot clarifies that the pope ordered the figure of the cross out of any material (ex cujuslibet materia) sown onto tunics and cloaks of the members of the expedition.

Fulcher of Chartres says: "O, how fitting and how pleasing it was for us all to see those crosses, stitched in silk or in gold, or made out of any kind of material, which the Pilgrims, following the order of the Pope, fashioned on their shoulders after pledging to set out on this march".

It is quite evident that there was no color or design required of the Crusaders. If any of the original nine members of the Knights Templar Order came to Palestine during the first crusade they would have worn crosses on their garments, but there is nothing to be said about how exactly those crosses looked.

In 1128 Pope Honorius II granted the Knights Templar the right to use white cloaks for distinction and as a symbol of innocence, but without any crosses ("absque aliqua cruce", says Jacques de Vitry). Only Eugene III (1145-1153) instituted that the Templars wear red crosses as a sign of martyrdom.

It would seem that the specific shape of the cross was not that crucial (sorry for the pun). Considering the Knights Templar humility and their desire to avoid ostentation, a simple cross of two equal beams would have been the most likely to be used at the time. Even a cross with a longer vertical line requires additional measuring in order "to make it look good", right?



I believe that only later the cross that is typically seen as the Templar cross because widely used by the Knights:



The Maltese cross is very similar. It is possible that the Templars did not at all feel that this design is all that different. In addition, the eight points of the Maltese cross have their own special significance as the eight beatitudes of Christianity proclaimed by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5-7).


The main reason why I would advise modern Templar enthusiasts, writers etc. to use the second design (i.e. the Templar cross proper, the cross patee) is that the Maltese cross is too recognizable and has a longer history as a distinct symbol of the Knights Hospitaller, the order which still exists today under a different name.

Need a good proof of the fact that Masonic Templarism that became so prominent in the 19th century is in no way connected with the original Order of the Knights Templar? Here it is.

Templar Freemasonry amongst its various symbols uses what is termed abacus - a wooden staff of office. You will spend countless unfruitful hours trying to find a single dictionary where this word is defined in a suitable sense. It just so happens that the originator of this most solemn Masonic term was none other than Sir Walter Scott. In his novel Ivanhoe, which features rather unsavory Templar Knight character, we find this passage:

In his hand he bore that singular abacus, or staff of office, with which Templars are usually represented, having at the upper end a round plate, on which was engraved the cross of the Order, inscribed within a circle or orle, as heralds term it.

Abacus, of course, is a primitive computational device. As any Latinist should know the word for 'staff' in Latin is 'baculus'. This is, in fact the word used by the Knights Templar in their documents to describe the Grand Master's staff. The similarity of 'abacus' and 'baculus', coupled perhaps with the fact that a diminutive of 'abacus' would be 'abaculus' we may suppose a possible chain of events that took place in the novelist's mind: "a baculus" - "abaculus" - "abacus". But that's really not all that important.

The important question is:

How would it be possible for a group that claims to have been descended from the medieval Order of the Knights Templar to use Walter Scott's novel for inspiration and freely borrow the author's clearly misplaced term? If Masonic Templars were unable to get a word right, being so influenced by Walter Scott's usage, how on earth could they possess a single morsel of the Knights Templar spiritual tradition (provided such a tradition really existed at some point)?

I did not own any knights Templar-related merchandize prior to the purchase of a Swiss Gear Marlet backpack. Seriously, the makers of the Original Swiss Army Knife manufacture products that no self-respecting Knight Templar would ever refuse to don. The red crosses are everywhere! The list price is over $80 and that reflects the quality and excellent features of this backpack. Primarily, these packs are meant for IT professionals on the go, because they have a very nicely padded compartment for a laptop. The Marlet is the smallest backpack in the series, and it is a superb choice even if you don't plan to carry a computer in it all the time.

The fact that I bring up the Templar connection (apart from the red crosses) is due to a rather enticing (in my opinion) theory that when the Templar Order was disbanded a great deal of its resources where channeled into the area now known as Switzerland. Hence we have this very militaristic, multinational and multilingual confederation that uses the Templar cross as a symbol of some of its cantons. I hope to write much more on this subject, because after some research I have a great deal of interesting evidence that was enough to make a skeptic, such as myself, believe that there may be something valid in this theory.

FilmSwords is a company makes medieval decorative swords "as seen in the movies." This makes me believe that the Swedish film "Arn: The Knight Templar" is more popular than I thought.

Peter Johnsson (who works as designer for Albion) modelled it on a type of sword being used at the end of the 1100s. A well-known representative of this type exists and is preserved in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna: the sword of Saint Maurice, part of the imperial regalia of the Holy Roman Empire.

Arn was given his sword by his master and mentor, monk and one-time Templar, Brother Guilbert.

The sword bears an inscription "In hoc signo vinces" - "With this sign though shall be victorious." This motto is not exclusively a Templar device, but it was somewhat favored by the Knights of the Temple. Other than that I have nothing to say about the authenticity of the sword. Buy at your own risk!

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The Washington monument in the eponymous capital of the United States is crowned with a metal cap. Among other inscriptions, the cap displays the words LAUS DEO, which in Latin means "Praise be to God", or more literally "Praise to God". The inscription most likely reveals some sort of Masonic connection.

More interestingly, Wikipedia informs us of the following:

Halfway up the steps of the monument is an inscription in Welsh: Fy iaith, fy ngwlad, fy nghenedl Cymru — Cymru am byth (My language, my land, my nation of Wales — Wales for ever). The reason for this inscription or its author is unknown.

Washington Monument (Wikipedia article)

At the very least we know that this is not some sort of Elfish language :) But seriously, "the reason for this inscription or its author is unknown"? You may wait for Dan Brown's new novel, "The Solomon Key", to find out what this inscription is all about. I am sure the truth will be most entertaining, as Dan Brown explores the dark secrets of Masonic symbolism in the nation's capital. But if you don't feel like waiting, here is what I uncovered:

"In 1834 a dinner was held by the Welsh residents of New York, presided over by E. W. Davis, and aided by T. Ingram Tones and the late Daniel L. Jones. The success of the dinner suggested the idea oi organizing a Welsh national society, and a draft of the constitution nnd by-laws for such a society was made. Out of this initiative grew the present St. David Society, which has helped hundreds of distressed Welshmen who have stranded on their arrival In the United States. Daniel L. Jones was president in 1863. Among its presidents have been Gen. Thomas L. James. Hon. Noah Davis, Ellis H. Roberts, the present United States Treasurer, and a score of other prominent Americans. It was through Mr. Jones that the government permitted a stone to be placed in the Washington monument to represent the little principality. This stone was imported from a quarry near Swansea. It bears the following inscription: Fy iaith. Fy Ngwlad, Ky Nghenedl. Wales. Cymru am Byth! Mr. Daniel L. Jones was a faithful, consistent and patriotic Welshman."

The Cambrian, a monthly magazine, Vol. XVIII, 1898.

Of course, it is still very suspicious that Welshmen be ever allowed to express their patriotic (and hence non-American) sentiments on this great obelisk. So, we shall see what Mr. Brown will be able to dig up.

Perhaps the reason why crop circles are mostly seen in England, is because the Circle Gods want us to connect the dots, that ancient sites are connected to modern day crop circles. That our legends of fairy circles were also the enigma of what crop circles are today. On Milk Hill the Circle Gods left us a message in post-Augustan Latin and obscure Knights Templar based alphabet that read on this hillside..."I oppose acts of craft and cunning." Perhaps they were talking about our 2 guys that claimed to have made all of crop circles with sticks and rope. Or perhaps they are talking about mankind in general.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/53410

Related article:

http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/dec2/boerman.htm


I really have no time now to be sifting through this, just making a note for the future, skeptical as usual.