The Da Vinci Code Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

The Da Vinci Code Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

The keystone (symbol)

This ancient symbol has permeated history from its beginning - the creation of the world. Its spiritual meaning is considered to be broad, thorough and convincing, as it is of biblical origin. When we first met the keystone on the pages of the book, we discover its true value: “a clef de voûte...or keystone—an engraved tablet that revealed the final resting place of the brotherhood's greatest secret...” So the meaning of the keystone can vary from ‘the most important part of anything or its main idea’ to ‘the completion of something’ - “The keystone. It will lead us to our final goal”.

"The fleur-de-lis" or Lily (symbol)

The beautiful flower of the lily is associated for us mainly with tenderness and purity. And there is no wonder, precisely that flower has always been a symbol of Motherhood. But if we go deeper, we will found that the lily's symbolism is much more complicated that we were thinking. Talking about "The fleur-de-lis" or heraldic lily, the Priory of Sion (Prieuré de Sion) should be mentioned. It is the secret fraternity which used this flower as their logo. - "The fleur-de-lis," Langdon said, "combined with the initials P.S., that is the brotherhood's official device. Their coat of arms. Their logo."

A rose (symbol)

The rose is another flower, which symbolism is shrouded in the mystery. There are many kinds of flowers, but it always the rose to be symbolized with the deepest feelings and desires. Throughout the history, the rose has acquired various meanings: the first ‘sub rosa’ or ‘under the rose’ stands for secrecy or privacy - "Sub rosa,"Langdon said. "The Romans hung a rose over meetings to indicate the meeting was confidential. Attendees understood that whatever was said under the rose—or sub rosa—had to remain a secret.". Then we met the second symbolic type of rose – so calles ‘five-petal rose’ which has direct link with the Priory of Sion : “The five-petal rose, he whispered, is a Priory symbol for the Holy Grail”. It is also not surprising that a rose is a symbol of femininity «The Rose has always been the premiere symbol of female sexuality.And in modern times, the flowering rose’s ties to womanhood are considered more visual». And finally, this floral symbol gets a role of quest pointer that can also be associated with ‘the Compass Rose’ - «For centuries, the symbol of the Rose had been associated with maps and guiding souls in the proper direction».

Silas (allegory)

The hulking albino with an extraordinary name, appearance and behavior is an interesting but ambiguous character. Silas or ‘the ghost’ is confident that he is doing the will of God by doing a lot of evil deeds . His name is allegory of biblical character The Holy Silas the Comrade of St. Peter who has the similar life story “When the ghost reached Verse 26, he gasped in shock. "...And suddenly, there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the doors fell open." The priest smiled warmly. "From now on, my friend, if you have no other name, I shall call you Silas." He was shocked, but agreed to the priest “The ghost nodded blankly. Silas .He had been given flesh. My name is Silas.”

Role of art (Motif)

Not surprisingly, the bulk of the events takes place in the Louvre - the largest museum, which houses a huge number of important art pieces. And, of course, the special attention is paying on some of them. That is because the role of art in human’s life is vital. The ideas that are containing in works of art can tell us not only about history, religion and artist’s life, but also about a lot of hidden facts. So, the author deliberately drew attention to the role of art. Too often, artworks contain encrypted messages.

The crave of the truth (Motif)

When you are confident in the correctness of your actions and in the sanctity of your endeavors, nothing can stop you from reaching The Goal. Even if you have to kill to achieve it. That's the idea that clearly explains the behavior of Silas, who was thinking he is doing ‘the will of God’. It explains the importance of taking someone else's opinion into consideration.

The protection of the truth (Motif)

The highest and most sacred purpose for the Priory of Sion was to protect their main secret. The protection of ‘truth’ or their ‘greatest sanctuary’ makes people to suffer for their own or even to sacrifice their life for the holy purpose. Nevertheless, the main goal was achieved: fraternity’s secret was protected as well as purity of sénéchaux and curator souls.

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