We end the month of Scottish graveyards with a post about a grave slab that has long fascinated me. It is situated not in a graveyard, but outside the crypt in the basement of Rosslyn Chapel. The gravestone depicts the Dance of Death.
Barely
visible on the left side of the slab are the words Omnia mors aequat which
translates to “Death equals all things”. Standing on the far left is a crowned
skeleton holding a scythe (the large, handled blade). The scythe is a symbol
used by ancient grave keepers to maintain the lands between life and the
afterlife. It is also a symbol of death. The crowned skeleton is referred to as
the King of Terrors (or the King of Death). We would generally refer to him as
the Grim Reaper.
Next, we
see a naked pauper who is raised up to be the same height as the King who is sitting
on his throne. This shows us that death is the great equalizer. Death is coming
for us all, regardless of our status in life.
November is National Family Stories month. Join me as I post about how you can discover, write and preserve the stories in your family history.
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