Fact and Fable

At Esplanadi park, Helsinki, stands a Gunnar Finne statue Fact and Fable. Helsinki art museum introduction:

"In 1928 a competition was arranged for a memorial to Zacharias Topelius. The competition was won by Gunnar Finne's with his entry 'Fact and Fable', which was later unveiled in 1932.

'Fact and Fable' consists of two allegorical female figures: 'Fact' with the flame of truth on her palm, and 'Fable' with the crown-headed bird of fable resting on her fingers. The figures face opposite directions: 'Fact' looks down the Esplanadi park while 'Fable's' gaze is turned to the sidewalk off Pohjoisesplanadi'. The figures are formed in a way which accents non-material features, and the imagery is refined and pure. The aim has been to create an illusory atmosphere in both the maidens' figures and in the balancing composition."

Fact and Fable

Topelius and the masonic "hidden hand"

First of all, Zacharias Topelius (aka Sakari Topelius) was a Freemason. So it's more than likely, that the memorial has some hidden in plain sight symbolism. Just look at the details, and see how this statue is yet another example of tarot symbolism.

Flame and a bird? And nude females?

The statue depicts the card Star. The most common tarot deck, Rider-Waite, has on this card a nude female pouring water from two jugs. On the background one can see a bird. In this version, the card does not have the flame. But if look at some other decks, like the old Marseille deck, you can see there is also a flame on the card.

Rider-Waite Star

Marseille Star

But why does the statue have two ladies instead of one?

To understand that, you need to know something about this card. This card represents the combined power of intellect and imagination. When you are in the state of "creative flow", you are using both sides of your brain. The lady pouring the water on earth and water represents exactly this. She is using both conscious mind (water poured on ground --> analysis, reason, evidence) and sub-conscious mind (water poured on water --> imagination, intuition, symbols, archetypes).

Fact and Fable represent a corrupt version of this. Or one could say the statue represents a reversed Star. Two naked ladies facing different directions represents a divided mind which has no natural connection or flow of the both sides of mind.

The Finnish name of the statue is Taru ja Totuus. The English translation Fact and Fable is not quite accurate. "Taru" means "story", like an allegorical story or children's tale. "Totuus" means "truth", not fact. Truth and fact are not quite the same.

"Tarot" used to be known as "taruth", which is the etymological origins for "truth". You see the obvious etymological connection the name of the statue has with tarot? Taru. Truth.

Tarot is way older than is commonly believed. Tarot as a divination art has its origins in ancient Egypt. Words like tarot, taruth, truth, thought, torah and the Finnish taru are all etymologically connected. Looking for the origins of these words leads you to way back in ancient Egypt. One of the oldest known goddesses of Egypt was called Taurt - the hippopotamus.

Taurt

Taurt was the great mother goddess, which represented the constellation of Ursa Minor. This constellation was very important for ancients, for it was one of the never-setting constellations near the pole star. In the Dendera zodiac you can see Taurt right in the middle.

Taurt in the middle of Dendera zodiac

More examples of tarot statues on page Esoteric statues.

Wall Street Bull

One of the most famous sculptures in New York City is the Charging Bull by Arturo Di Modica. The statue stands in Bowling Green and is also known as Wall Street Bull.

Wikipedia:

"The 7,100-pound (3,200 kg) sculpture stands 11 feet (3.4 m) tall and measures 16 feet (4.9 m) long. The oversize sculpture depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, leaning back on its haunches and with its head lowered as if ready to charge. The sculpture is both a popular tourist destination which draws thousands of people a day, as well as "one of the most iconic images of New York" and a "Wall Street icon" symbolizing Wall Street and the Financial District."

The esoteric symbolism of the statue has an obvious link to astrology and the sign of Taurus. But there is more to it.

To understand the deeper esoteric symbolism of the statue, one must be familiar with the history of "the Elite" that goes back to ancient Egypt and pharaoh Akhenaton. I recommend you read first the article Akhenaton and the Hyksos kings.

Bull symbolism has a special meaning in the Cult of Aton. When Akhenaton implemented the religious reform in Egypt, only the worship of the sun god Aton was allowed. Worship of other gods was forbidden, except few gods which were tolerated. One of the exceptions was the Mnevis bull.

" ... the Mnevis bull was one of the few deities apparently tolerated by Akhenaten who decreed that a cemetery for the divine animal was to be made in his capital Akhetaten" - Richard Wilkinson (The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt)

Mnevis bull

The probable reason for this "toleration" was the fact the Mnevis bull had a close connection to the old sun god Ra (or Re), which was kind of a prototype of Aton. In Egyptian mythology Mnevis bull was considered as the soul ("ba") of Ra.

"The divine bull of Heliopolis which was known to the Egyptians as Mer-Wer and called by the Greeks Mnevis was originally an independent deity who was incorporated into the worship of the sun god at an unknown early date. Manetho claimed that the god's cult was introduced in the 2nd dynasty, but he appears in only a minor capacity as the 'bull of Heliopolis' in the Pyramid Text. Yet at some point Mnevis came to be regarded as the ba or 'power' of Re and a manifestation of the combined Re-Atum and as such gained considerable importance." - ibid

Mnevis bull and the solar disc (similar to Aton) between its horns

More examples of hidden in plain sight symbolism of statues on page Esoteric statues.

Three Smiths

Right in the middle of Helsinki city center stands a Felix Nylund statue called Three smiths. Helsinki art museum introduction:

"The statue was commissioned by the Pro Helsingfors foundation, which donated it to the City of Helsinki. Felix Nylund (1878-1940) entered a sculpture with a smith theme in 1913 in the competition for the J.W. Snellman memorial. In 1919, Nylund made a drawing where the three smiths are placed on top of a 10-metre column. Although these early plans were never realized, Nylund reapplied the theme in the `The Three Smiths' which was to be placed in front of the Old Student House.

The `Three smiths' has been interpreted to symbolize, for instance, human labour and cooperation between people. The model for the master smith was Paavo Koskinen, a brick layer. The facial features are from the poet Arvid Mörne. The smith raising the hammer is a self-portrait of the young Nylund, while the third smith was modelled on the stone cutter Aku Nuutinen, an important assistant of Felix Nylund's. The statue is realistic with tones of Classicism. The statue is cast in bronze and its pedestal is red granite. The Latin text "MONUMENTUM - PONENDUM - CURAVIT - LEGATUM - J. TALLBERGIANUM - PRO HELSINGFORS A.D. MCMXXXII" is inscribed on the pedestal."

Three smiths

Three smiths

Symbolizes human labor and cooperation? Yeah, right.

There are two layers of esoteric symbolism in this statue. If you know anything about Freemasonry and masonic symbolism, you should be able to notice this one common masonic symbol - the hammer.

Masonic symbolism: Three hammers

Masonic symbolism: Hammer

Masonic symbolism: Hammer/gavel

There's a reason why this statue has three smiths and one of them is called the master smith. This is a reference to the original masonic grade system, which had only three grades, and the highest grade was called master mason. Today these three lowest grades are called the blue lodge.

Hammer has a part in the initiation ceremony of the third grade. In this ritual, the candidate gets struck by a hammer.

Masonic symbolism: Hammer and the initiation of the third grade

The origins of the hammer symbolism in the masonic context goes back to the myth of Tubal Cain.

"Tubal Cain has been consecrated among Masons of the present day as an ancient brother. His introduction of the arts of civilization having given the first value to property. Tubal Cain has been considered among Masons as a symbol of worldly possessions." - Albert Mackey

"The Mason must 'follow in the footsteps of his forefather, Tubal-Cain, who with the mighty strength of the war god hammered his sword into a plowshare." - Manly Palmer Hall

Tubal Cain and a hammer in front of the UN building in New York

On esoteric level, the symbolism of the hammer is about shaping the world into the liking of the "Elite". This is communicated loud and clear in the famous Fabian Window in London School of Economics. Hammer has become the symbol of the socialist (collectivist) agenda of the "Elite".

Fabian Window: Hammering the world

Other examples of hammer symbolism:

Hammer in the USSR emblem

Hammer and the masonic compass in the East-Germany emblem

The pope and the hammer

And of course the products of the entertainment industry of the "Elite" are sometimes depicted with the hammer:

Pink Floyd and the marching hammers

The Beatles, the hammer and three nails on the head - subtle masonic symbolism

Let's go back to the Three smiths. The second layer of hidden in plain sight esoteric symbolism is about tarot. The statue depicts the card Wheel of Fortune.

Three smiths:

1. The pedestal is of round shape.
2. The statue has three characters.
3. One of the smiths is a leading master smith
4. The master smith holds an iron bar.
5. There is text on the round pedestal.
6. The statue is in front of a book store and a former university building.

Wheel of Fortune:

1. The wheel is a round object.
2. The card has three characters.
3. One of the characters, the sphinx, is at the moment a ruling figure. (The one at the top.)
4. The sphinx holds a sword, which was once an iron bar.
5. There is text on the round wheel.
6. There are four characters in the corners reading a book.

In mythology we have many gods with hammers. In Fenno-Scandinavia the hammer was the symbol of Thor / Ukko (Finnish version). Both were thunder gods.

Thor's hammer

Ukko's hammer
(Finnish word for thunder is ukkonen)

In ancient Greece the smith god was called Hephaestus. In Rome he was called Vulcan. They were the gods of the volcanoes. An erupting volcano was considered as Hephaestus/Vulcan at work.

Hephaestus / Vulcan

The volcano god at work

What very few people seem to know, is that all the smith gods are based on the oldest of them all, Goibniu of the Irish mythology. He was the blacksmith of the tribe of the goddess Danu - Tuatha de Danann.

Goibniu

The Shipwrecked

At Tähtitorninmäki, Helsinki, stands a sculpture by Robert Stigell called The Shipwrecked. Helsinki Art Museum introduction:

Robert Stigell (1852-1907) made a plaster sculpture on the shipwreck theme already in the beginning of the 1890s. In 1893 he offered a bronze cast of it to the City of Helsinki to be used as a public monument. In 1897, the City signed an agreement with the sculptor, and Stigell finalized the work, over 4 metres in height, in Paris between 1897-1898. The sculpture was also cast in Paris.

The sculpture depicts a shipwrecked family. The father, the central figure in the group, holds a small child in his arms and is calling for help. He is waving a scarf and looking towards their rescuers. Another child, a small boy, is stuck in what remains of the ship. The mother has collapsed and is lying on the raft. The work does not depict a particular shipwreck nor is it historical; Stigell was merely interested in exploring the sculptural dynamics of the subject.

'The Shipwrecked' has been offered various symbolic meanings, none of which originate with the artist himself. Leo Mechelin, the speaker at the unveiling on November 18, 1898, made a reference to the difficult political conditions of the years of Russian suppression and to a promising future for Finland.

The sculpture faces West which has also been interpreted symbolically. The location of the sculpture was debated still in 1898, at least in the newspapers. According to one suggestion, the work should be placed near the Kappeli restaurant in the Esplanadi park and complemented with appropriate floral arrangements. A committee appointed by the City finally decided to place it on the square on Tähtitorninmäki, as Stigell himself had requested.

See how the ships coming and going to Helsinki center can be seen right behind it? That's one clue to the symbolism at hand. Once again we are looking at a statue with hidden in plain sight tarot symbolism. This one depicts the card Death.

The Shipwrecked - the statue:

1. The people are shipwrecked, in other words, in risk of death
2. The statue depicts two grownups and two children
3. One grownup is standing, and the other one is laying down
4. One child is looking up with curious face
5. The other child is looking away
6. The father has made a flag and waving it
7. You can see ships behind the statue (harbor area)

Death - the card:

1. Death comes to the people in a form of a rider.
2. The card depicts two grownups and two children
3. One grownup is standing, and the other one is laying down
4. One child is looking up with curious face
5. The other child is looking away and turning her head
6. Death is holding a flag
7. You can see a ship on the background

More examples of hidden in plain sight tarot symbolism on page Esoteric statues.