Meaning of the iron cross

Answer 1

Well, I'm glad you asked that one!!! The first we know about the Iron Cross, which is mistakenly refered to as a Maltese cross, was when an order of Teutonic Knights adopted it for their sign.

After being used as personal emblems by several Teutonic emporers as an emblem sometime around 1800 or so it was used as a military decoration for extreme valor on the battlefield. Needless to say it went thru a lot of ornamental changes as it went from dynasty to dynasty.

During W W 2, it was last awarded to a German soldier in May 1945, it has not been issued to anyone else because Germany has not been at war since then, and it is only a WARTIME military medal.

When G I's coming back from W W 2 brought home their 'booty" a lot of them brought back Iron Crosses as souveniers.....Now some of these G.I.'s were bikers and some may have been surfers because it was adopted by both groups during the 50's and 60's.....But I'm sure if you asked a biker and a surfer what it meant to them you would get to completely different answers...

Of late variations on the Iron Cross theme have shown up used by Motorcycle builders and anyone else wanting to cash in on Jesse James 15 minutes of fame........

Oh yeah, sidewalk surfers seem to have taken a liking to it too.....You see a lot of skateboards with the iron cross type decorations.....

Hope this helps..........TatuBaron

This is also a brief description: Hope it too is helpfull -Skpychic01

The German Iron Cross in its various grades was awarded to all ranks of the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine to recognize officers and men for acts of bravery, heroism and leadership. It was first introduced on March 10, 1813 by King Frederick William III of Prussia, who was then at war against the French under Napolean. Since then it has gone through many evolutions and was reinstitued again by Adolf Hitler on 1st September 1939, in readiness for the Second World War.

Answer 2

The history of the Celtic cross

The earliest versions of the cross were carved onto slabs that laid flat on the ground and were called Recumbent cross-slabs. But, they gradually evolved into carvings on upright slabs (Erect cross-slab), sometimes depicted with a slightly rounded top. Both versions are always decorated intricately with typical Celtic patterns; spirals, knot work, foliage, keys, Biblical tales and animals.

The most recent evolution of the Celtic cross's depiction is a free standing, statuesque Celtic cross, rather than being simply a carving on a slab. The cross was effectively now "freed" from the stone, so these versions are known as Freestanding crosses. And the arms of the cross were made longer, so they extended the circle, with the inner shapes between the arms and the circle being cut away. And this cross is most commonly seen in the form of gravestones in Irish churchyards or as war memorials all over Britain.

The different meanings of the Celtic cross

The Celtic cross is widely used as Christian symbol, but as we can tell from its name, the cross has a history stretching further back than Christianity. For example, its four arms are interpreted as the four elements (earth, air, fire, water), the four directions of the compass (north, south, east, west) or the four parts of man (mind, soul, heart, body), in various cultures and traditions.

The Celtic cross is said to have derived from the Chi Rho symbol, as popularised by the Roman emperor, Constantine. "Chi" and "Rho" are the first letters of the word "Christ" in the Greek alphabet, and when these letters are interlinked, they appear similar to the cross at the centre of a Celtic cross.

But where does the cross's distinctive circle come from? The truth is, no one is sure, but among ancient races, circles were used to represent the moon and a cross and circle conjoined symbolised the sun. So, it's likely that the Celtic cross was originally a Pagan sun or moon representation, later used by the Romans in order to try to convert the Pagans of Britain to Christianity. According to Irish legend, St Patrick saw a circle representing the Pagan moon goddess and made the sign of the cross through it, but Patrick was not actually Catholic and, thus, would not have made the sign.* But to Irish Catholics, the circle can represent Christ's halo, or as eternity and the endlessness of God's love.

* "he [Patrick] was no Romanist" (McClintock and Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, Vol. VII, p.776; article: Patrick, St.).

* "There is strong evidence that Patrick had no Roman commission in Ireland...As Patrick's churches in Ireland, like their brethren in Britain, repudiated the supremacy of the popes....There is not a written word from one of them [popes] rejoicing over Patrick's additions to their church, showing clearly that he was not a Roman missionary....Prosper does not notice Patrick....He says nothing of the greatest success ever given to a missionary of Christ, apparently because he [Patrick] was not a Romanist....Bede never speaks of St. Patrick in his celebrated 'Ecclesiastical History.'...So completely buried was Patrick and his work by popes and other Roman Catholics, that in their epistles and larger publications, his name does not once occur in one of them until A. D. 634" (William Cathcart, D. D., The Ancient British and Irish Churches, pp.83-85).

Answer 3

The Celtic Cross is one of many forms of the Cross, and arose in Ireland and Scotland. The symbolism is quite simple. The Cross is a representation of the Cross on which Christ died. The ring which surrounds the upper part of the Cross represents the sun i.e. the Resurrection. Celtic Christians had a tremendous respect for Nature, and like many peoples, saw the sun as a life-giving force. The Celtic Christians continued the pagan tradition of inscribing stones, and Celtic crosses were usually inscribed with scenes from the life of Christ, with saints, or even animals with religious significance (e.g. cockerel).