The Fazer Rooster

At the city center of Helsinki stands a Björn Weckström statue called The Fazer Rooster. Helsinki art museum introduction:

"The Fazer Group donated 'The Fazer Rooster' to the City of Helsinki as a part of its 100th anniversary celebrations. The work belongs to the collections of the Helsinki Art Museum. 'The Rooster' is located in front of Fazer's famous café on Kluuvikatu. It was unveiled on September 17, 1991. The bronze sculpture is a stylized Fazer symbol, a rooster. In fact, it is so stylized that it invites the viewer to see other forms - someone has suggested that Weckström used a cervical vertebra of an elk as a model."

See how there's yet another obelisk?

Mr. Karl Fazer, the founder of Fazer company, was a Freemason. Are you surprised to hear that the rooster is a masonic symbol?

Karl Fazer and the masonic "hidden hand"

Rooster was one of the symbols of the Greek god Hermes. In Rome, this god was known as Mercury.

Hermes/Mercury and the rooster

In masonic context, Hermes/Mercury is an embodiment of masonry. The symbolism of freemasonry is considered as hermetic.

"Mercury, as known to the Romans and as Thoth by the Egyptians, the god Hermes, is considered by Pike to represent the Master of the Lodge." - Russell R. Boedeker, 32nd degree Freemason

"Manly P. Hall in his work, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, states, “…he [Hermes] was the author of the Masonic initiatory rituals…Nearly all of the Masonic symbols are Hermetic in character" - ibid

"In all the old manuscript records which contain the Legend of the Craft, mention is made of Hermes as one of the founders of Freemasonry." (masonicdictionary.com)

Another famous symbol of Hermes is the caduceus. He inherited it from his Egyptian counterpart Thoth. Thoth, the god of wisdom, was depicted with a head of an ibis bird. There is an interesting passage in the Bible about rooster and ibis.

"Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding?" - Job 38:36 (New International Version)

Funny how easy it is to find blatant paganism from the Bible.

Hermes holding the caduceus

Thoth holding two caduceuses

Hermeticism is an integral part of freemasonry ("Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn", "Hermetic Degrees",  "Hermetic Rites" etc.) and the esoteric arts of "the Elite". The father of hermeticism is the mythical Egyptian high priest and mage called Hermes Trismegistus. For Freemasons he is the so called forefather of masonry. 

"Hermes Trismegistus, "thrice-great Hermes," emerged from the amalgamation of the wisdom gods Hermes and Thoth and is one of the most enigmatic figures of intellectual history. Since antiquity, the legendary "wise Egyptian" has been considered the creator of several mystical and magical writings on such topics as alchemy, astrology, medicine, and the transcendence of God. Philosophers of the Renaissance celebrated Hermes Trismegistus as the founder of philosophy, Freemasons called him their forefather, and Enlightenment thinkers championed religious tolerance in his name. To this day, Hermes Trismegistus is one of the central figures of the occult — his name is synonymous with the esoteric." - Florian Ebeling

Hermes Trismegistus

Hermes symbolism is widely used by "the Elite":

Hermes and the UBS bank

Hermes statue, Rochester, USA

Hermes, Grand Central Terminal, New York, USA

Golden boy (Hermes), Manitoba legislative building, Winnipeg, Canada

Hermes, Budapest, Hungary

Freddie Mercury statue, Switzerland

Hermes logo

Hermes statue in the first James Bond movie Dr. No (upper right corner)

Going back to The Fazer Rooster. The obvious Hermes symbolism is not the only layer of symbolism in this statue. There is another layer, not too surprising for the readers of this blog.

First we have to look at the satellite image of Helsinki. The statue forms a straight line on the map with the tarot statues of Lönnrot memorial and Alexander II statue.

From left to right: Lönnrot memorial, The Fazer Rooster, Alexander II

And another line:

From left to right: Lasipalatsi clock tower, The Fazer Rooster, The Stone of the Empress  

And another:

From left to right: Fact and Fable, The Fazer Rooster, The Law

And another:

From left to right: Aleksis Kivi statue, The Fazer Rooster, The Shipwrecked 

See the pattern? Always in the middle.

Let's take a closer look on the two last lines. The Fazer Rooster is in the middle and the four other statues around it are all tarot statues. Fact and Fable depicts the tarot card Star, which is ruled by the sign of Aquarius.

On the opposite side is The Law, which depicts the tarot card Strength, which is ruled by the sign of Leo.

Aleksis Kivi statue represents the card The Hierophant, which is ruled by the sign of Taurus.

On the opposite side is The Shipwrecked, which represents the card Death, which is ruled by the sign of Scorpio.

The four tarot statues around The Fazer Rooster

The four signs, Aquarius, Leo, Taurus and Scorpio are the four Fixed signs of the zodiac, forming a cross on the zodiac wheel.

Fixed signs

There are two tarot cards, that have these signs on the corners of the card: Wheel of Fortune and The World. In the most well known tarot deck, Rider-Waite, The World has Sophia the goddess of wisdom in the middle.

(The card is somewhat confusing, because the symbol of the sign of Scorpio used to be and eagle.)

From the upper left corner: Aquarius, Scorpio (used to be an eagle), Leo and Taurus

But if you look at some other older decks, instead of Sophia there is someone else as the main character of the card. Can you guess who?

The World and Hermes

The World and Hermes