This is the first in a series that discusses the meanings behind the symbolism that you’ll find on gravestones located in Ohio cemeteries.

Urns are one of the most easily identified symbols that you’ll find on gravestones. Not only do they appear on the top of the stone (not carved into the front or back), making them easy to spot from afar, but they’re one of the Victorian-Era symbols that have survived the centuries.

Urns commonly appear either plain, as seen above, or with a cloth draped over or around them. Both have similar meanings, although the addition of the cloth makes the gravestone a little more interesting.

Simple Urns

To put it simply, an urn is a visual representation of death. It goes back millennia, thanks to the many ancient cultures that practiced cremation, and was very popular in the Victorian Era when gravestones became even more intricate and symbolic.

Essentially, an urn reminds mourners of what happens when someone dies. Their bodies disintegrate and turn into dust and ash, as their souls continue to move on to the next realm, whatever it might be.

Urns With Cloth

Often, urns appear with carved cloth around them. This stone representation of cloth can be draped over the urn, or in the case of the gravestone above, underneath it.

The urns here mean the same thing as those that are plain, without the “cloth.” They represent death. However, the cloth provides an interesting twist. It represents the veil that separates the dead from the alive. When someone dies, that veil is lifted.

The cloth also provides some protection for the soul, covering it as it moves into the next realm after the death of the body.

Sources

• Indiana – cemetery symbolism
• Atlas Obscura – Cemetery Symbolism

Further Reading