Religious Symbols Trivia

1. In Buddhism, this symbol represents the Buddha walking the path to enlightenment. What is this symbol?

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Wheel of Dharma

Also called the dharmachakra, this symbol is used in Indian religions. It is a wheel with four, eight or more spokes on it. It's used in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism. In Buddhism, it is used to represent the Buddha's teachings, Buddha himself, and his path to enlightenment. It is also sometimes connected with the Noble Eightfold Path which is a summary of the path of Buddhist practices that lead to nirvana and the freedom from rebirth. The symbol is widespread and is found in many different places including in art, on flags and ancient coins.

From Quiz The Rose in Religion

Answer: Aphrodite

In one account, Aphrodite weeps for her mortally wounded lover, Adonis, from which tears the first roses spring. In another, while racing toward Adonis, Aphrodite scratches herself, and from her blood sprang the first red roses. In yet another source, the sea-foam from which Aphrodite sprang hit land from which white roses emerged. The rose also served as a symbol for Dionysus, particularly in a festival called the Anestheria, and for Adonis, in annual rites called the Adoneia, lamentations and dirges performed by women, sometimes before a rose-adorned effigy of Adonis. The Roman religion borrowed the story of the rose from the Greek (substituting Venus for Aphrodite), but they also had a different take on the origin of the rose, with goddess Flora (patron of spring and flowers, equivalent to the Greek Chloris) mourning the death of her favorite nymph and begging her fellow gods to help her transform her beloved into the Queen of Flowers, the rose. Flora was important enough to have her own flamen, or priest, called the Floralis, and she had her own festival, the Floralia, on May 3.

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Triskelion

The triskelion is an ancient triple spiral symbol. The symbol can be either spirals or three bent legs. As a Celtic symbol it is used by various Neo-Pagan religions, including Druidism. In Druidism, the symbol takes the form of the spirals and can be found in jewellery and architecture among other places.

From Quiz The Rose in Religion

Answer: Rome

The Rosalia was a pluralistic commemoration of the dead celebrated variously in May and June, though sometimes as late as July, throughout the Roman Empire. It was also called the Rosaria, the Rosatio (rose-adornment), or Dies Roationis (day of rose-adornment). The Roman army also celebrated the Rosaliae Signorum (the sign of roses) during which they adorned the Aquila (the Roman Eagle as a military standard) with roses. Flowers represented rejuvenation in the ancient world, and the custom of decorating graves with roses and violets, whose red and violet colors also evoked blood, was already present in many of cultures assimilated into the Roman Empire, as were floral spring festivals for cults of Dionysus, Adonis, and other figures of Hellenistic religion.

From Quiz Holy White

Answer: Esau

Esau and his twin brother Jacob were the sons of Rebekah and Isaac. Apart from giving away his birthright for the stew in chapter 25 of Genesis, Esau also lost his father's blessings that were due to him as the first-born son when his younger brother tricked their old father into blessing him instead.

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Om

The sound Om has an interesting significance to Hindus. Hindus believe that a vibration happened, that represented all consciousness, took place as a result of creation. This vibration is represented by the sound Om. The syllable Om is found at the beginning and end of Hindu religious texts and recited during prayers and other ceremonies.

From Quiz The Rose in Religion

Answer: Song of Songs

In the Shir Hashirim of the Tanakh, or the Song of Songs (also called Song of Solomon, Canticles, or Canticle of Canticles) of the Old Testament, there is a dialogue between the lover and the beloved. In chapter 2, verse 1, the beloved says, "I am the rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys" (NJB). The Hebrew phrase "Chavatzelet HaSharon" was translated in the King James (or Authorized) version as "rose of Sharon", whereas earlier translations in Greek, Latin, and English (such as the Wycliffe Bible or the Great Bible) had simply called it "flower of the field", after "ánthos toú pedíou" in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of Scripture used by Jews at the beginning of the 1st century. Many, if not most, later translations continue the Jacobean tradition, truer to the Masoretic (Hebrew) text, though perhaps with an explanatory footnote (see below), while a few do not. The phrase "rose of Sharon" has inspired much poetry and prose, both secular and sacred. There has been a lot of scholarly speculation as to what plant the phrase "Chavatzelet HaSharon" actually represents, including a tulip, a lily, an iris, a narcissus, a crocus, or even a wildflower. One thing is clear: it is NOT the modern bush (Hibiscus syriacus) called "rose-of-Sharon" in the USA and Mugunghwa in South Korea (where it originated), nor is it the Eurasian shrub known as Aaron's beard (H. calycinum) and also called "rose-of-Sharon" in the UK, for these plants would have been unknown by the people of the ancient Levant at the time the text was written. The fertile Sharon Plain to which "rose of Sharon" refers extends between Mount Carmel (in northern modern Israel) and the ancient port city of Jaffa on the Mediterranean coast.

From Quiz Holy Cow! Animal Icon Meanings in World Religions

Answer: Lamb of God

The most concrete references came from John the Evangelist. Perhaps the most blatant of John's use of the term in, John 1:29. Typically, in Christian iconography, sheep represent the masses in general, lions can represent multiple things depending on context, and cats usually represent fecundity or temptation. Agnus comes from the Latin root for lamb, and I did ask what baby animal was often used, so the sheep answer is not quite valid. Generally, most scholars in this area consider the analogy apt, as lambs were used as sacrificial animals in exchange for favour from God. John saw Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as God giving up his one true son as a sacrifice to absolve humanity's sins. Thanks to the website "Catholic Symbols" in particular for additional information regarding the meaning of "Agnus Dei" as well as data regarding the other three, incorrect, answers.

From Quiz Holy White

Answer: Green

While describing life in paradise, the Quran states that the righteous will be given robes of green silk interwoven with gold. Green is also regarded as the colour of Prophet Muhammad and is believed to have symbolized life to the tribes living in the deserts.

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Star and crescent

The star and crescent became aligned with Islam during the 1900s. It is seen on flags and used as the symbol of Islam by the Nation of Islam. Historically the star and crescent represent the sun and moon or moon and morning star. The symbol gained prominence when it was used on the flag of the Ottoman Empire. It's also seen on the flags of Malaysia, Pakistan and Singapore. Interestingly, although the symbol has also been used by national Islamic movements, it is rejected by some modern Muslim scholars.

From Quiz The Rose in Religion

Answer: The Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary, viewed as a second Eve, has been compared to a thornless rose. St. Ambrose, in the third century, believed that thorns only grew in the Garden of Eden after the Fall of Humanity. In the fifth century, Coelius Sedulius referred to Mary as a "rose among thorns". Bernard of Clairvaux said, "Eve was a thorn, wounding, bringing death to all; in Mary we see a rose, soothing everybody's hurts, giving the destiny of salvation back to all." In the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587, the caller (a priest) recites many titles for Mary, including Mirror of Justice, Mother Inviolate, and Mystic Rose (Rosa Mystica). After each title is invoked, the response is "Pray for us" ("Ora pro nobis"). (Another name is the Litany of Loreto). In Guadalupe, Mexico, sits the shrine of Rosa Mystica. Pierina Gilli (1911-1991) prepared some modern Rosa Mystica devotions, which the Catholic Diocese of Brescia (in Milan) began performing regularly in 1991. In the Christmas carol "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" ("Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"), the rose refers to the Virgin Mary in the original 1599 German lyrics, although Theodore Baker made the rose refer to Jesus Christ in his popular 1894 English translation.

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Star of David

The Star of David is known in Hebrew as the Magen David. It is a six pointed star, made up of two equilateral triangles. The symbol has been found on Jewish flags dating back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; however, the Star of David as a representation of the Jewish community was first recorded in the seventeenth century. The symbol is the focal point of the flag of Israel.

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Sigil of Baphomet

The Sigil of Baphomet is the official sign of the Church of Satan. It first started to be used during the 1960s, was copyrighted by the church and appears on the front of the Satanic Bible. It is a goat's head inside a pentagram inside a circle. Baphomet is half-human and half-animal, half woman and half man, and a mixture of good and evil. Baphomet was allegedly worshipped by the Knights Templar. It is the head of Baphomet (the goat's head) that is featured in this symbol.

From Quiz The Rose in Religion

Answer: Buddhism & Hinduism

A mandala is typically circular with a complex design. Representing the universe, the mandala is used by Buddhists as well as by Hindus as an aid to meditation. For both Hindus and Buddhists, contemplating the mandala helps them on their journey to Nirvana. In Buddhism, this is when the mind, aware that the self is an illusion, transcends all desire and suffering and attains utter blessedness and peace. In Hinduism, it is when the soul, forgoing all other attachments, recognizes its identity with Brahma, the source of the universe and the universal consciousness sustaining all souls. In either case, the soul is relinquished from the endless cycle of samsara (reincarnation).

From Quiz Holy White

Answer: Blue and White

Blue is the colour of divinity in Judaism. The blue and white braids of the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl, symbolize purity and the Law. The national flag of Israel is also constituted of these two colours.

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Christian cross

The cross is the best-known symbol associated with Christianity and has been used since 32AD. For a while the cross was a T shaped cross and not the Latin cross in use popularly today. The cross is in use throughout Christianity in everything from adorning churches to jewellery to other architecture. The cross is included in the altar table and hangs in many Christian homes.

From Quiz The Rose in Religion

Answer: Mecca

The rose, called the Flower of Heaven in Islam, symbolizes the prophet Muhammad. Early rose-culture is connected with early Arab conquests and the history of the Caliphate (the reign of a Muslim ruler). Indeed, the very word "rose" is Semitic in origin, possibly from the Iranian root *vrda-, from which we get the Arabic "wurdah". In the Hajj, rose water from Iran or Turkey is sprinkled on the black cloth of the Kaaba, a cubic, black stone shrine in the middle of Islam's most important mosque, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (This shrine is what Muslim faithful turn toward when they pray.) Oil lamps in the Kaaba also burn a fragrant rose oil. When Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople in 1453, he commanded that the Hagia Sophia (Saint Sophia) church in the city renamed Istanbul be cleansed with rose water before converting it into a mosque. (It became a museum in 1935 but reverted into a mosque in 2020.)

From Quiz Holy White

Answer: Holi

Holi is a Hindu spring festival celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of spring. There are multiple legends regarding the origin of this festival. According to one of them, Holi celebrates the killing of Hiranyakashyap, the king of demons by Narasimha, the half-lion/half-man avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. As part of the celebrations, people spray coloured water or powdered colours on each other. In earlier days, natural colours with medicinal properties were used, which also helped to protect the people from common illnesses like cold and fever caused by the seasonal changes.

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Torii

For followers of Shinto, the torii is a gate that is symbolic of an entrance to a sacred place. The torii is most commonly found at the entrance to a Shinto shrine. It is an easy way to identify Shinto shrines and a torii icon is included in maps so that Shinto shrines can be easily found. They were traditionally made of wood or stone, but are now made of other materials such as concrete or copper.

From Quiz The Rose in Religion

Answer: Baha'u'llah (Baha'i Faith)

The Bahá'i faith, which believes in the unity of God, the unity of all religion, and the unity of humanity, originated in a movement in Shi'a Islam in Persia (Iran) in the 19th century. (It is NOT, however, Muslim, any more than Christianity is Jewish, and Bahá'i are persecuted in Iran and in some localities forbidden to make rose water.) In the holy book the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá'u'lláh writes, "Make use of rose-water, and of pure perfume", for it is "what your Lord, the Incomparable, the All-Wise, desireth." (par. 76). Roses appear more than any other flower in Baha'i texts. Bahá'u'lláh particularly used roses as metaphors and a source of divine inspiration. His son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, described the diversity yet harmony of the human race with roses: "Anyone who goes into a rose garden will see various roses, white, pink, yellow, red, all growing together and replete with adornment.... Were all of one color, the garden would be monotonous to the eye.... Therefore, I hope that you will be like a rose garden. Although different in colors, yet--praise be to God!--you receive rays from the same sun." ('The Promulgation of Universal Peace', p. 427). Abrahamic religions are monotheistic and claim to worship the God of Abraham. In addition to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, these include the Bahá'í Faith, Bábism, Rastafarianism, the Druze Faith, and Samaritanism.

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Pentacle

The Pentacle was adopted by Wiccans for use in the 1960s. It has long been used as an object with magical qualities. For Wiccans, the Pentacle is the Pentagram enclosed in a circle. It can be made of various materials such as cloth or paper and sometimes other protective symbols are included in the design.

From Quiz The Rose in Religion

Answer: Hermeticism

Rosicrucianism is symbolized by a rose on a Latin cross, the rose being borrowed from the emblem of Martin Luther, though he has nothing to do with the movement. Kabbalah is a body of mystical teachings of Jewish rabbinical origins. Gnostics (heretics of the Early Christian Church) believed that salvation comes from secret, esoteric knowledge rather than faith. Hermeticism, a cult based on religious and philosophical beliefs attributed to Hermes in late medieval and Renaissance times, provided that knowledge through alchemy, astrology, and theurgy (white magic taught and practiced by Egyptian Neo-Platonists). Allegedly this movement was founded by a monk named Christian Rosenkreuz (lit. "rose-cross"), but possibly such a person never existed. Francis Bacon and other historical figures have been influenced by it. The fusion of Jewish, Christian, Gnostic, Egyptian, and pagan beliefs has made Rosicrucianism an enduring syncretic movement in many forms and associations. One of the most successful is the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) founded in New York City in 1915 by H. Spencer Lewis (1883-1939). Believing Egypt to be the font of Rosicrucianism, Lewis originally distributed his teachings through mail-order lessons, and with those funds raised he founded and sustained a highly rated Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California, still run by AMORC in the 21st century.

From Quiz Holy White

Answer: The Pope

The red colour is believed to signify the blood of martyrdom, symbolic of Saint Peter, the first Pope, who was martyred for his faith. While the red shoes are a papal tradition, wearing them is not compulsory. Red is also regarded as one of the colours of the Holy Spirit.

From Quiz Religious Symbology

Answer: Faravahar

The faravahar is a national symbol of Iran and is a symbol for Zoroastrians. It is typically thought of as either representing the God of Zoroastrianism (Ahura Mazda) or a Fravashi which is like a guardian angel, fighting evil in the world. It looks like a winged sun disk with a man riding on top of it. It symbolizes immortality.

From Quiz Holy White

Answer: Narmada

The Narmada river flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat in India before emptying into the Arabian Sea. Ganga, in the form of a black cow, visits the Narmada every year to take a dip and cleanse her sins before returning in the form of a white cow.

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