Symbolism

Candle

The candle symbolizes light in the darkness of life especially individual life, illumination; it is the symbol of holy illumination of the spirit of truth. Lit in times of death, they signify the light in the next world, and they represent Christ as the light. Purification and cleansing closely related. Festive in nature; in Judaism the holiday Hanukah is the 'Festival of Lights', and a candle is lit for each of the 8 nights. Used to ward off evil spirits, life safe as long as candle burns; in relation to Halloween, candles were carried from eleven til midnight, if the candle went out it was an evil omen, if it didn't it meant one year free from witchcraft.

Its components also have great meaning: wax - pure flesh or humanity, wick - soul, light - love, divinity, flame - godhead, fire - obedience, heat - humility.

River

In their endless flow, rivers have evolved into symbols of life itself, they are "The flux of the world in manifestation, the macrocosm" (Cooper, 139), and the crossing of a river from one bank to the other indicates that a rite of passage has just been completed. The MOUTH of the river shares meaning with the GATE and the DOOR as a passage to another world

Blood

Blood globally represents life itself, as the element of divine life that functions within the human body. It is repeatedly referred to as having magic powers and as the only food for the supernatural beings, and it is also associated with "a variety of non-rational notions, includ[ing] blood brotherhood, blood vengeance, blood baptism. Since it corresponds so readily with the color red, it represents the end of a series which begins with sunlight (yellow) and follows intermediately with vegetable life (green). Closely tied with passion, but also with death, war, sacrifice (specifically sheep, hog, bull and man) and the warding off of malicious powers -- 'blood has flowed, the danger is past' (Arabic saying). Close ties to guilt, especially as bloodstains.

Blood and WINE are interchangeable symbols; in Chinese symbolism, blood and WATER are associated as complementaries, as THE YIN AND THE YANG. The term cold blood refers to unfeeling. When used in reference to Christ, represents atoning for all humanity -- 'See, see where Christ's blood streams in the firmament!' (Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, 16).

Spring

Themes of rebirth and renewal often use symbols from the spring season. Spring also refers to love, hope, youth and growth. The seasonal symbolism for this period may also allude to religious celebrations such as Passover or Easter. Poets like Walt Whitman, Amy Lowell and Robert Burns use lilac blossoms as a seasonal symbol for ongoing hope and renewal. William Shakespeare notes how the cuckoo birds emerge in the spring to mock married men in the poem “Spring.”

Island:

An island is a refuge, a place distanced from crowds and noisy civilization. It might represent a lost paradise, or the center of the personality where "My soul and my conscious, that is what my Self is, and I am part of it like an island in the midst of the waves, like a star in the sky" (Julien, 214). An island can also be a place of lonliness and isolation. However, with solitude, it can represent stability and the challenge of the undiscovered.

Islands carry many literary references: Melville - peace and joy, but posed with the unknown; Baudelaire - order and beauty; Conrad - illusion of apartness; Yeats - retreat from worldly chaos, disorder; Thomas - isolation in immortality; Huxley - a way of perceiving human connections ("island universes" - Doors of Perception).

Bull:

The bull is usually related, in its solar sense, to the masculine, strength, the SUN, and KINGLY power. Horns are seen as the sun-bow, shooting its ray-arrows. Is a God to a great many ancient cultures.

But the bull can also be a lunar symbol, when ridden by a MOON goddess. In this context the bull usually has the meaning of the taming of masculine and animal nature. Its horn, in this case, are seen as a moon-shape. It is connected with humidity and rain. In Egypt, it is a passive power as opposed to the active LION. Together with the solar connotation, represents earth and the underworld, fertility and reincarnation, often connected with the wandering souls of the dead.

In general, shows fecundity, protector qualities, sacrifice, chastity and patience. Many of its body parts, especially the tail, foot and hide, are also symbolic of special powers, fertility and land respectively. In the zodiac, the sign of Taurus represents the sun and the spring.