I suppose the Nazi appropriation of that image has wrested it from its Christian context forever. Remember, this was written in 1920, but for us after the second world war, it is strange to see a swastika used as “a sign of fire-gods and rain-gods, or good-fortune and of life,” “the most primitive and most universal of symbols,” and “the witness of the Cross which lies at the centre of all things” (21). Chapter V illustrates and discusses, various representations of the cross, including the fylfot cross or swastika. Chapter VI, Miscellaneous, talks about the dolphin (faithful believers), salamander (faith), centaur (Christ’s two natures, or the Christian’s old man and new man), griffin (omniscience and omnipotence), unicorn (chastity). Chapter III talks about Jesus represented as a lamb, a lion, the conqueror of dragons, a panther (I didn’t know about that one), a fish, the phoenix, the pelican, the eagle, a Jonah-figure, and a shepherd. The writers of the four Gospels each have their traditional associations: Matthew = Winged Man/Angel Mark = Lion Luke = Winged Ox John = Eagle. As we’ll see, I’m not sure “most” of it was by him, but certainly some of it was, and perhaps he had a shaping role in the whole volume.ġ920’s boy scout badge in the shape of a swastika with a fleur-de-lisįor example, the Church is shown as an ark or a ship. (It was called Christian Symbolism and was under Michal’s name though Charles murmured, as he handed it to me, that most of it had been written by him.)” (Lang-Sims 80). Lois Lang-Sims, describing the end of her relationship with CW, records that he awkwardly “took a small book, seemingly at random, from a shelf and presented it to me as a keepsake.
In any case, it seems that although this little book is supposedly “by Michal Williams,” Charles wrote most of it. Apparently Florence mocked him for reciting poetry loudly in crowded settings, so he called her “Michal” after King David’s wife, who scorned her husband for stripping and dancing in ecstasy before the Lord in public (see II Samuel 6:14-23). ‘Michal’ is the somewhat unflattering nickname CW gave to his wife Florence, but which stuck so hard she even chose it as her nom de plume and it’s on her gravestone. Here’s an odd little item for your contemplation: Christian Symbolism, supposedly written by “Michal” Williams.
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