Symbol Dictionary Ti-Tra
Tiger: See Animals.
Toad: See Animals.
Toga: This head garment, originally worn by the ruling class of the matronae tribe in pre-patriarchal Rome, was a sign of political power.
Tohu Bohu: The Hebrew Tahu Bohu or “Primal Chaos” was the “elemental formlessness between the destruction of one universe and the creation of the next,” according to Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983). Originally from the Asiatic belief in the Goddess Kali’s cauldron or sea of “infinite formlessness,” from which all potential life was created.
Tomb: As a home for the dead since Neolithic times, tombs are often filled with the necessities of daily life as well as the richness of the occupant’s life. Egyptians viewed their tombs as wombs of rebirth into the afterlife, Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002), explain, “The magical symbols painted on the sarcophagus enabled its occupant to continue to live in this world and in the Otherworld.” Roman tombs became dedicated to the deceased spirit, like an altar.
Tophet: See Underworld.
Torch: Believed to ward off evil that lurks in darkness, torches are attributed to the goddess Demeter/Ceres who used them in her underworld search for her daughter Persephone, and the goddess Hecate who likewise used them in the Underworld. In the Greco-Roman tradition, torches are used during processions to temple gatherings, to escort a bride to her new home, are the attribute of Hymen, god of marriage, and used at the Olympic games to symbolize the spirit (Shepherd, 2002).
Totem Animals: See Animals.
Totem Pole: Used by Native American tribes of the North-west coast, Totem Poles are large cedar pillars carved with totem animals representing sacred stories, legends, and beliefs (Shepherd, 2002).
Transubstantiation: Catholic belief that the wine and bread of the holy communion are literally transformed into the blood and flesh of Jesus. This ritual goes back to more primitive sacrifices in which the blood and body of the sacrificed was literally consumed. Cults of Osiris, Mithra, Attis, Dionysus, and Orpheus all practiced blood sacrifices. Worshippers of Dionysus drink wine symbolizing the god’s blood (Shepherd, 2002). Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) explains, “The theory behind transubstantiation was the most primitive kind of magic, ‘the echo of some prehistoric cannibalistic religion… The flesh and blood consumed becomes an innate part of the diner’… If he eats a god, he becomes godlike” (Jobes quoted in Walker, 1983). While a literal belief in transubstantiation is integral to Catholicism, it was one of the main thrusts of the Protestant Reformation.
Transvestism: The practice of cross-dressing or the more extreme castration, started as a way for men to gain access to religious and spiritual activity, the domain of women in pre-patriarchal times. By wearing women’s clothing, they hoped the deities would find them acceptable. Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) states, “Men’s transvestism was rooted in the ancient desire to imitate female magic” and occurred in Europe, Rome, and the Middle East. Many indigenous peoples recognized shamans or medicine men who dressed or acted as women, such as the Native American berdache and the hijra of India.