ITEMS OF INTEREST
LORE OF THE LATCH-KEY.
SYMBOLS OF ST. PETER'S,
An English writer says:—"Most of us when we use a latch-key in entering a. house, have no thought of the historical significance of the action. Yet the latch-key has a symbolism entirely its own. Examine the images of the Egyptian deities in the British Museum, and you will notice in the hands of some of them a cross With a circular handle. It represents the Ankh, or key of life, one of the oldest of all religious symbols, denoting the power to open and close the doors of heaven. The key had a magical meaning for the Greeks and -Romans. Their gods were often given the title of Keybearer, as, for example, Janus the god of gates> wno was supposed to unlock the doors of war and peace.
"In early Christian history the symbol of the key was associated with St. Peter, with his two keys 6f gold and iron. In the Middle Ages the key was lised to assist in the identification of guilty persons. If, for instance, a theft had been committed, a key was laid on the open page of a Bible, when it was supposed to move towards tho culprit. Wedding rings had their origin in the key presented to the Roman britie by her husband as a sign of her authority i,n the household."
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EG19260618.2.7
Bibliographic details
Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 2995, 18 June 1926, Page 3
Word Count
230ITEMS OF INTEREST Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 2995, 18 June 1926, Page 3
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