The Effect of Triangle and Pyramid Symbolism on Ancient and Modern Day Culture
While the link between the general shape of objects and the way cultures and people see them may be coincidental. There seems to be a general connection between the shape of different objects and the way the public views them, specifically triangles and triangular shapes. Triangle and Pyramid symbolism effects different places, monuments, religions, and cultures throughout the world. From the Bermuda Triangle to the ancient pyramids of Egypt people seem to have been fascinated with the idea of triangles for a very long time.
An example of how triangle symbolism, specifically permeates modern culture is the Bermuda Triangle. This “phenomenon” has captured the eyes of the public for decades. It is an area in the middle of Bermuda, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Miami, Florida. Several high profile cases of plane and ship disappearances have been linked to this area. Theories range from the rational, methane gas bubbles, to the unorthodox, alien bases and portals to other dimensions. While this is only one example, it is extremely high profile, at least in western areas of the world, which provides a compelling
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argument to make. Before discussing the symbolism of the Bermuda Triangle it is important to understand the work that went into trying to explain it. One explanation that is commonly used is the existence of methane gas bubbles in the area of the Bermuda Triangle, which has been proven to sink model ships, although there is strong resistance to this theory as well to quote Tanya Lewis, and by extension, Phrampus. “But even though the phenomenon worked with a model ship, their is no evidence that it ever actually occurred, Phrampus said. In addition, such large-scale methane releases have not been reported in recent history, when the ship and airplane disappearances supposedly took place within the Bermuda Triangle. The last time the ocean floor was venting gas in that area was after the last ice age, about 20,000 years ago, Phrampus said.” Quite a number of other high profile cases of triangle and pyramid symbolism exist in the ancient times and buildings of Egypt and Mesoamerica, specifically the Pyramids. This style of building originated in up to three cultures despite there being no feasible way the cultures could interact. These cultures consist of Mesoamerica, Egypt, and Sudan. Interaction between Egypt and Sudan is possible, as evidenced by the similar building style, but Mesoamerica is completely isolated by thousands of miles of Ocean, the Atlantic specifically. However, while the same general idea of pyramid building is prevalent among different cultures, the method of construction and purpose is different. The ancient Egyptians believed that when the Pharaoh died, he would be transcended into the form of Osiris. They built the pyramids as the final resting-place for the Pharaoh. While forced labor of war prisoners was widespread, many scholars agree that a labor force spreading throughout Egypt was used to construct the pyramids. This provided a foundation for statehood to be established (Pawlowski). The purpose of the Mesoamerican pyramids is slightly different. The Pyramid of the Sun in the city of Teotihuacan was designed, much like Teotihuacan itself, to represent various cosmic events. This provides a strong link between the ancient culture of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan and the cosmos. Ñarchaeoastronomersîm have determined that the odd orientation of the Street of the Dead, the central, ceremonial axis of Teotihuacan, is related to the cosmic events that are signaled by the Pyramid of the Sun. Archeoastronomer Anthony Aventi stood on the stairway of the Pyramid of the Sun, whose stairway is perpendicular to the street, and calculated that one would have witnessed the setting of the zenith sun that occurred in A.D 150. This was an important event to the agricultural civilization of Teotihuacan because it signified the harvest season (Pawlowski). In relation to Egyptian pyramids the function of Mesoamerican pyramids such as the Pyramid of the sun is the same in the aspect of marking cosmic events, but different in the fact that Egyptian pyramids, such as the pyramid of Giza, were used as burial tombs for Pharaohs. When discussing the differences in pyramid design and functionality, the cultures of both civilizations must be examined. “Like the people of ancient Egypt, the early civilizations of Mesoamerica were agricultural laborers whose livelihood depended upon the success of the harvest. With agriculture playing such a vital role in the lives of the Teotihuacanos, it is estimated that this culture could spare, at best, a hundred days per year on the construction of the pyramid (Mendelssohn, pg. 192). Although the construction of the Pyramid of the Sun looks like a small task when compared to the Giza pyramids, it is important to recognize the great effort that actually went into its construction, and to notice how in fact different members of society all joined together to create the sacred monument” (Pawlowski). Pyramid symbolism is reflected in the different uses for pyramids throughout culture especially in religions. Egypt is a prime example of this type of cultural influence. The ancient Egyptians believed that when the pharaoh died he would be transcended into the form of Osiris (Pawlowski). “The pyramid's smooth, angled sides symbolized the rays of the sun and were designed to help the king's soul ascend to heaven and join the gods, particularly the sun god Ra (History.com).” The number three has been featured in many myths and folklore through the ages such as; three wishes, three guesses, three little pigs, three bears and three billy goats gruff. In ancient Babylon their were three primary gods; Anu, Bel (also known as Baal), and Ea. There were also three aspects to Ra, the Egyptian sun god, Khepri, Re, and Atum (Carter). The deities at the end, especially the Egyptian Ra, were all closely associated with the number three in the same vain as the folklore. The folklore at the beginning shows that the number three has really captured imagination, more so than any other number. The city of Teotihuacan has also reflected cultural influences from pyramids, Important findings have proved that Teotihuacan was a flourishing city occupying 150,000 to 200,000 people at the highest point in the city’s development. Teotihuacan was a communal society where people lived in closely built housing structures lining the Street of the Dead (Pawlowski). The Street of the Dead is where the Pyramid of the Sun is located, the largest pyramid in Teotihuacan, and the layout of the city closely follows the pyramid (Pawlowski). The Pyramid of the sun was built with adobe bricks at the core with a layer of cobblestone covering it up. Smaller stones covered up this layer and were plastered with stucco coating. This layer was painted quite elaborately by the Teotihuacanos. This great attention to decoration showed the Teotihuacanos view of the pyramid as a major part of their civilization (Pawlowski). The cultural influence and impact of triangle symbolism is present in modern times as well with the prime example being the Bermuda Triangle.
As the name suggests the Bermuda Triangle is a triangular region in between Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Even with massive evidence pointing towards the contrary, Most real ships and planes that “disappeared” in the bermuda triangle disappeared during bad storms and other extreme weather conditions, other times the ships/planes sank far outside the Bermuda Triangle but were attributed to some “supernatural” cause, for example the Bermuda Triangle. Sometimes the ships and planes that disappeared were not real at all (Radford), there is still a large amount of the general public that believes that the Bermuda Triangle is a magical
place. A journalist named Larry Kusche examined the ‘mysterious disappearances” of the Bermuda Triangle, and found that most of the “legend” of the Bermuda Triangle was created by misinterpretation, mystery mongering, and, in rare cases, outright fabrication. There are some alternative theories on the Bermuda Triangle including; One theory for the special properties of the Bermuda Triangle is that sudden rogue tidal waves destroy ships. Another theory is that the Bermuda Triangle has some mysterious geomagnetic anomaly that creates interference with piloting software, confusing pilots and causing them to plunge straight into the ocean, this does not make sense because pilots are trained to fly without electronic navigation. This theory doesn’t even account for ship disappearances, much like the first one, rogue tidal waves, did not account for the loss of planes (Radford). The Bermuda Triangle is a large part of, especially western, modern culture and the public has latched on to all of the conspiracy theories surrounding it. The United States has taken a particular interest, possibly driven by proximity, to the Bermuda Triangle even though the U.S does not officially recognize the Bermuda Triangle as a location and the insurance market Lloyd's of London has determined that no more ships have sunk their than any other parts of the ocean. The Lloyd's of London used research conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (Lewis). As a final note on triangle symbolism, one of the worlds major religions, Christianity, has a triangle at the center of it. Despite not being mentioned in any of Christianity's holy texts most Christians today believe in some sort of holy triangle composing of Yahweh, Jesus, and the Holy spirit (Encyclopedia Britannica). In conclusion triangle symbolism is an important part of ancient and modern culture that reveals itself in more ways than one. The ways that triangle symbolism shows itself in popular culture is not known to most people but apparent on closer examination, revealing itself in pop culture in more things than one, including the Bermuda Triangle. The symbolism is also shown in major religions across the world such as Christianity. Most people will never realize the profound effect that triangle symbolism has on our culture but that does not mean that it is not important.
Symbolism, helps even the uneducated to understand even the basics of the morals of life.The bible is a very religious journal which has many symbols such as a rainbow representing a promise and many others. "Tell the angel who will watch over your life to pry now and then for a man who, like Satan, believed himself for an instant to be equal to God, but who realized in
Thus , everybody has different opinions and each person has a unique way of symbolizing objects. Not everybody can see a symbol in everything , some have more value than others.
The triangle symbolizes hope. Jonas finds himself frustrated frequently in this film. The symbolism is very much present when Jonas kisses Fiona inside of the triangle waterfall structure and again when he is over the edge and finds the rocks shaped like a triangle. In the first instance Jonas is frustrated with the people in the community do to the fact that they are so blind to what is actually going on but once he is in the triangle, he finds peace and hope when he realizes Fiona listened to him and has feelings for him. The audience doesn’t realize that this symbolic until they put both instances together. The second example, the triangle brings him hope when he sees the triangle of rocks because he is one step closer to freeing the memories. Although this symbol is subtle, it is very significant to the
The Bermuda Triangle (the Devil’s Triangle), is a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean bordered by a line from Florida, to the islands of Bermuda, to Puerto Rico and then back to Florida. It is well known for all the mysterious things that happen within it. It got its name from a news article written by VIncent H. Gaddis in 1964. He claimed that in that part of the Atlantic ocean, a large amount of ships and planes have went missing without any explanation. He wasn’t the first to claim something about that area, but he gave it the name. The first major story about the Bermuda Triangle was when the USS Cyclops went missing in 1911. It is the most famous ship lost in the Bermuda Triangle. It served has a collier for the U.S Navy during World War 1. It was on its way from Bahia, Salvador to Baltimore, Maryland. The ship never made it to Baltimore. The ship could have sunk anywhere between Baltimore and Bahia. It is not proven to have sunk in the Bermuda Triangle, but that was the area they had said it sunk in.
In the following short stories by; John Updike’s “A&P” and Shirley Jackson “The Lottery” both authors use symbolism in their stories to foreshadow parts that have a lot of deeper meaning. Each author has their own unique way of using symbols throughout their stories. Authors use symbolism to represent something in a different meaning, they will use material objects a lot to draw conclusions within the story. Author John Updike uses seduction, Herring snacks and bathing suits as a form of symbolism in his story “A&P”. As well Author Shirley Jackson uses material objects in her story such as the black lottery box, and stones that the kids gathered earlier in the story. Once symbolism is created within the story, it can provide meaning to the story in a different way, it could also affect the theme of the story and the characters.
This suggests that when humans who are traveling through the Bermuda Triangle make a wrong decision as far as direction, speed, altitude, etc. goes, it can often cost them their life. The same goes for many other things such as driving, you can’t remove human error from normal, often dangerous tasks, and that is when you get problems such as the disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle. Another contributor to human error that Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki noted was, “It is close to the equator, near a wealthy part of the world, America, therefore you have a lot of traffic, and a lot of room for error.” (Macdonald 2017) What he meant by this was that when you put a high concentration of traffic in a relatively small area, you have the possibility for collisions and overcorrections due to human error. After all, human
The Bermuda triangle is commonly known for the disappearances of planes and ships. There has never been a theory to solve the mystery of the Bermuda triangle. There have been way too many planes and ships to say that the Bermuda triangle isn’t real. The Bermuda Triangle has a lot of history behind it and is said to be the reason for the navigational confusion. There have been many rational theories about the phenomenon which people can still not decide if the Bermuda triangle is real or fake. We have never been able to explain why so many planes and ships have gone missing. Media have said that the Bermuda triangle is a manufactured mystery.
of the upside down pink triangle, and the symbols of two men and two women
Symbolism plays a great role in the story Big Two-Hearted River, by Ernest Hemingway. The symbols Hemingway chose support one of the main themes, and they help bring out the meaning behind the story. Big Two Hearted River is a story about a veteran returning home from war. The main character, Nick Adams, has a heavy heart when he returns home to find his town Seney and home demolished and burned. This feeling is similar to what a soldier on duty experiences out on the battlefield. These men will never forget what they saw and dealt with during war, and it unfortunately comes home with them. He, and most men coming home from war, don’t feel anyone can relate with them, so they usually would just rather be alone so they can live how they want to. Nick has seen it all in the war; people die, things blow up, and shots fired. His life on the
These significant architectural structures became the most influential figures in history with its mysterious work and effort that is been put in. These pyramids originated as a mastaba to serve a purpose of tomb than the society witnessed it transforming into a pyramid over time, creating a significant piece of architecture.
Choosing a shape that describes me made me think about who I am as an athlete, student, and friend. I thought about the 3 main aspects that are important to me and how they have affected me throughout my life. I believe that an equilateral triangle represents who I am because each of the points are weighted equally and the triangle itself is balanced. Soccer and school are the foundation of my triangle. They support and allow me to branch out with new people and make long lasting friends, which makes the top point of my triangle my social life.
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is one of the few special spots on earth where a vast number of ships and planes are lost. Most of their wreckage has not been found either. Many odd events have been proclaimed about the area. There are many theories behind the Triangle, but a few are more believable than the rest. Scientists and theorists have linked these three main theories to the Bermuda Triangle: the electromagnetic properties of the Triangle, natural causes, or UFO’s and Atlantis.
In conclusion the bermuda triangle is an imaginary triangle with a deadly reputation. No explanation has been proven correct and the mystery is still to be solved. After countless events of paranomal activity being reported, it is difficult to believe that the triangle is a safe place with nothing peculiar about it, even though most researchers believe differently. The sense of mystery, publicized occurances of paranormal activity, and attention from scientists and researchers has continued to fuel interest on the matter.
Cultural ethos, defined by symbols and signs, assist the representation of real life. They embody a concept or an idea that is delivered to the audience through a form of nonverbal communication. Symbols characterize a significant part of any cultural make up and thus the symbolic life of each individual culture has a huge importance in conceiving our world. Members of distinct societies are aided by symbols to illustrate meanings without using words. Sometimes a gesture, a drawing or a spoken word is enough to evoke an emotional or national response. These activities remain the medium of expression of a society.
The Bermuda triangle is a place that boggles many scientists even in this day and age. The Bermuda Triangle, referred to by some as the Devil's Triangle, is in a western region of the North Atlantic Ocean where countless aircraft, ships and people have inexplicably disappeared. Throughout the years of 1955 and 1975 more than 428 vessels disappeared, along with 100 ships and 1000 lives (Obringer1). Where did these people and ships disappear off too and how come no remains were found is the mysterious question people yearn to find out. Back in the 1964, the Bermuda triangle was often nicknamed as The Devil's Islands, because sea travelers could hear various different screeching noises coming off the shores (Obringer1). The Bermuda Triangle is a whirl pool of mysterious occurrences where things have magically disappeared without any remains and no matter how many theories scientists come up with to solve the mysteries of this enchanted island, none come close to having answers for any incident that occurred on this island.