Solution to the Puzzle on the Back Cover, Lower Left

I picked up my copy of The Lost Symbol at 12:01 a.m. at the Lincoln Center Barnes and Noble in Manhattan, here in New York City. Now, at a little after 2:00 a.m. Eastern time, I've dealt with a few other matters, and I am looking at something that many of us have been wondering about for months: the back cover, which does indeed have puzzles! This blog entry is the solution to one of them. (If you don't want to know, don't read on!)

[Incidentally, for those of you interested in the technical vocabulary and concepts of cryptography, the type of puzzle that we will be working with is a transposition cipher. This means that the letters of the message are all there in plain sight--but they are in a mixed-up order. How can one put them in the correct order? That is the challenge. I think you are seeing cryptographic history made here in The Lost Symbol; I think that forever afterward, this will be called a "magic square" or "Durer" cipher. Read on to see why.]

The lower left-hand corner of the back cover has a 4 x 4 grid of letters, like so:

Y U O E
M S T D
I I N H
R E K Y

This relates to a similar puzzle in The Lost Symbol that Robert Langdon struggles with. At one point, Langdon realizes that the solution to the puzzle is the magic square in the artwork, Melencolia I, produced during the German Renaissance by Albrecht Durer. (Durer was the subject of Clue #9; a reproduction of Melencolia I, magic square and all, is above.) Durer's magic square is a matrix of numbers:

16 3 2 13
5 10 11 8
9 6 7 12
4 15 14 1

The trick is to put the letters of the first matrix in the order indicated by the numbers of Durer's magic square. The lower right-hand corner of Durer's magic square is 1; this corresponds to the letter "Y" in the letter matrix, so "Y" should go in the first position (where there is already a "Y," no doubt just to confuse us all). But you get the idea. Sort the letters so that they fit into the following matrix of numbers:

1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16

and when you do this, you get the following matrix of letters:

Y O U R
M I N D
I S T H
E K E Y

which leads to the phrase:

"YOUR MIND IS THE KEY."

What a powerful statement! But what might it mean, in the context of this book? I think it means two things.

Certainly all the many challenges that Robert Langdon has to face in his adventures have to be solved through the use of his mind. In this world, where the forces of irrationality and superstition fight for supremacy, where irrational arguments are used to mold global politics, it is important to remember that our minds are the key.

Secondly, the conclusion of the novel, Chapters 133 and the Epilogue (which I will not spoil here), have some interesting things to say regarding the potential of the human mind.

Finally, the phrase "YOUR MIND" is almost certainly the key in a Caesar shift cipher (a transposition cipher) using the Freemason's cipher (a substitution cipher) that is another puzzle on the back cover. But that is another blogpost.

You can read more about Caesar shift ciphers, transposition ciphers, the Freemasons cipher, and substitution ciphers, in one of my forthcoming books. Australian puzzlemaster Denise Sutherland and I are publishing Cracking Codes and Cryptograms for Dummies in October or November (Wiley Publishing). I'll say more about it in this blog later on, but if you enjoy cryptography, codes, and puzzles, you'll like this book.

Now on to that other puzzle on the back cover . . . .

[I dedicate the solution of this puzzle to my wonderful wife, Kathleen Koltko-Rivera, who encouraged me to go out to pick up The Lost Symbol tonight, and accompanied me on a lovely nocturnal walk to do so. I love you, sweetheart. L., M.]

Clue #22: Albrecht Durer, Part 2

The 22nd Twitter clue, sent at 8:50 a.m. PDT, Thurs., July 2nd:

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His subjects are the first couple, horned ungulate, blessed Jerome.

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Here we meet again the renowned German Renaissance artist, Albrecht Durer, featured in Clue #9 (life detailed here and here; reproductions of many pieces of art available at the latter site, and here). Among Durer's most famous artworks are his representations of Adam and Eve (the first human couple mentioned in the Bible; see his engraving of 1504 and painting of 1507), his engraving of a rhino (an "ungulate," or hoofed beast, with a horn), and his engraving of St. Jerome in his study (all shown above).

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Why bring up Durer again? In my description of Clue #9, I focused on Masonic symbolism in Durer's work. However, there are other reasons for Durer to figure into The Lost Symbol, especially given the religious climate in which he lived. Durer harbored significant sympathies in favor of reforming the Catholic church, although he remained Catholic himself -- much like Michelangelo. Perhaps Dan Brown plans to portray Durer as a member of the Spirituali, the secret society for Catholic reform, of which Michelangelo was a member (Clue #19).

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But why mention these particular pieces of art? The artworks themselves are certainly masterpieces. One might guess that, in the novel, they are specific pieces that will be at some sort of Durer exhibition or collection in or near Washington, DC. (Of course, many copies of a given print are struck off, so it is easy for a printmaker like Durer to have original prints on display or in collections all over the world.) In terms of the specific pieces, though, a few things come to mind.

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Adam and Eve

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The topic of Adam and Eve, of course, brings up the topic of human reproduction. As I have speculated with regard to Clue #11, conflict concerning reproductive technologies and their religious implications is a topic that might come up in the novel. This would be natural for Dan Brown, whose works combine centuries-old conspiracy with cutting-edge high-tech science. For example, in Angels & Demons, a significant plot device involves the creation of antimatter; perhaps The Lost Symbol involves a high-tech topic like human cloning.

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Another issue that comes to mind is the idea of Adam and Eve as a married couple. In traditional belief, Adam and Eve were married by God in the Garden of Eden. (See, in the Jewish Tanakh or the Christian Bible's Old Testament, the passage Genesis 1:28.) Symbolically, however, marriage of male and female has sigificance in esoteric studies and alchemy (see C. G. Jung, Collected Works, vol. 13, "Alchemical Studies," and vol. 14, "Mysterium Coniunctionis"). Thus, Durer's Adam and Eve print and painting may touch upon alchemical themes that we have met in Clue #18 and shall meet again in Clue #25 (the Rosy Cross).

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Rhinoceros

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Durer made his 1515 woodcut of a rhinoceros without ever having seen one; he read a description and saw a quick sketch of one that had just been delivered to Lisbon. Nonetheless, and despite its scientific inaccuracies, this woodcut still appeared in the occasional German science textbook, into the 20th century. It's a stretch, but perhaps in The Lost Symbol the matter of Durer's Rhinoceros touches upon issues of observation and science; these are topics that come up prominently in the Twitter clue involving Francis Bacon (Clue #7).

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Of its own, the rhino is a symbol associated with virility, strength, and invulnerability in combat. However, in earlier centuries in Europe, the rhinoceros was sometimes confused with the mythical unicorn, a creature replete with esoteric symbolism.

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St. Jerome

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Durer's woodcut of St. Jerome is universally acknowledged as one of his masterpieces. St. Jerome, of course, is particularly known for his translation of the Bible into Latin, which formed the basis for the Vulgate Bible that was declared the official Bible of the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545-1563, a generation after Durer's death).

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Jerome is a figure of the 4th century; interestingly, he is known as "Blessed Jerome" to the Eastern Orthodox Church, rather than the Catholic Church. One of his teachers was Apollinaris of Laodicea, noted opponent of the ancient Arian beliefs that we met in Clue #17; in turn, Apollinaris was condemned as a heretic in ancient Christianity for Docetism, the belief that Christ only appeared to be human. Here we have fertile ground for Dan Brown: conflicting beliefs about the nature of Jesus Christ.

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The Council of Trent, a millenium after Jerome, overlapped with the lives of some people and groups mentioned in the Twitter clues. These include Francis Bacon (Clue #7), Michelangelo and the Spirituali (Clue #19), and the early Illuminati as they exist in Dan Brown's universe (Clue #5).

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Dan Brown has focused before on an important Catholic Church council: the ancient Council of Nicea, which figures prominently in The Da Vinci Code. It would not be surprising for him to do so again, in focusing on the Council of Trent.

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The concerns of the Council of Trent have resonances to some themes that have come up in the Twitter clues. The Council addressed a number of Protestant criticisms, and issued a number of reform decrees, the need for which had been claimed by the Spirituali (Clue #19). The Council helped define the Church's position on Original Sin, which is relevant to the doctrine of the immaculate conception of Mary, mother of Jesus (Clue #11).

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Then there is the print itself. In the print, we see one of the most famous of the symbols of 'high degree' Freemasonry: a human skull, which in Masonry is a reminder of mortality, much like the hourglass that we see both here and in Durer's Melancolia I, described in my interpretation of Clue #9.

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Conclusion

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Thus, in Durer's works named in the Twitter clue, on the surface alone we have a reference to an artist whose works are sure to be featured in The Lost Symbol. Scratch the surface, and we have references to other people, groups, ideas, and themes that are likely to appear in the novel, as well.

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Shameless Plug

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In my forthcoming book, Discovering The Lost Symbol, I shall address the artistic and religious themes and figures that Dan Brown's novel focuses upon.

[The black-and-white images above are all from the website of ArtTattler. The color image of the "Adam and Eve" painting was obtained from Wikimedia Commons through Wikipedia. All of the original artwork is in the public domain; images thereof are also all in the public domain, at least in the United States, per Bridgeman vs. Corel.]

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(Copyright 2009 Mark E. Koltko-Rivera. All Rights Reserved.)

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Clue #9: Albrecht Durer

The 9th Twitter clue, posted 2:15 p.m. PDT on Thurs., June 25th:

Albrecht Durer, whose father was a goldsmith,
was trained as a metalworker at a young age.

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The clue refers to one of the great artists of the Renaissance in Northern Europe, the German, Albrecht Durer (1471-1528). (We meet him again in Clue #22.) Although Durer is known primarily for his prints made from woodcuts and, especially, his engravings on metal, the tweet mentions his early training as a metalworker. The content reads like a sentence out of an art history text, nothing really provocative.

This, however, is Dan Brown -- a man in whose novels many a famed artist is a member of some centuries-spanning conspiracy. And, as it happens, Durer actually has long been rumored to have been a member of a centuries-spanning secret society. This is because Durer has been rumored for years to have been some sort of a Freemason from the pre-Grand Lodge era.

The basis of this rumor is the fact that some of Durer's pieces contain depictions of objects that have either real or reputed symbolic significance to Freemasons. The most prominent example of this is his piece shown above, Melencolia I, a copper engraving dating from 1514 (background here). (If you are using Microsoft Explorer as your browser, I suggest that you go to the File menu, select "New Window," and on the second window of this post, click on the image above to view a much larger image of the artwork as you read the description that follows.)

Masonic Symbols in Durer's Melencolia I

In this piece, an adult-sized female angel sits in thought, holding, for no obvious reason, a set of compasses such as might be used by a stonemason, carpenter, or architect. (Of course, the Compasses are well-known to be an important symbol in Freemasonry.)

Although the bottom of the etching shows the tools of a carpenter (a reference to Jesus, the carpenter's son?), the most prominent finished products appear to be stone, including a sphere in the lower left-hand corner, and a polyhedral prism (the thing shaped like the Superman logo) just above the dog, next to the hammer. The polyhedral prism and the sphere are both portrayed as exquisitely finished pieces of work, smooth pieces of worked and polished stone that call to mind the smooth or polished ashlar that represents, in Masonic symbolism, the individual Mason after he has worked to perfect his character. (I have seen actual stones exemplifying the rough ashlar -- unworked stone -- and the smooth ashlar -- smoothly polished stone -- in every Masonic lodge that I have ever visited.)

But if there is a smooth ashlar, where is the rough? There is no rough ashlar visible in the etching, although there is, in a way, a cowan. The derivation of this peculiarly Masonic word -- used to describe a non-Mason who tries to sneak into a Masonic meeting -- is uncertain. However, it has been related to the Gothic word choin and the Greek word kuon, which each mean the same thing: a dog. Of course, a dog is prominently visible in the etching, perhaps significantly, right between the two polished stones mentioned above.

Above the adult angel's right wing (the viewer's left) is an hourglass, recalling to mind the hourglass mentioned in a lecture accompanying one of the three basic Masonic degrees, or rituals of initiation. This symbolizes the brevity of life, the realization of which should encourage us to use our time well while we have it. (The Masonic scholar Coil states that this symbol came into the Masonic lectures late in the 18th century, but seeing it here raises questions about that dating; the hourglass does seem a timeless symbol of the quickness with which our lives pass.)

Next to the adult angel sits a cherub on what appears to be a somewhat worn mill wheel. Directly above the cherub is a pair of scales, calling to mind Justice, one of the Four Cardinal Virtues, which also occur as symbols in one of the Masonic degree lectures (the others being Temperance, Fortitude, and Prudence).

To the left of the cherub one sees a ladder. Jacob's ladder (see Genesis 28:10-22) is a symbol used in the lecture of the first degree of Freemasonry. A ladder with symbolic significance also appears in the degrees of the Scottish Rite, which are based on 'high degree' rituals, some of which date back at least to the earliest days of Grand Lodge Freemasonry, and perhaps earlier.

Other Masonic Symbolism in Durer's Art

There are other pieces by Durer that show what could be Masonic symbolism. His 1504 title page for Messahalah, De scientia motus orbis (an illustration also known as "Astronomer") shows a man holding a set of compasses; he appears to be measuring distances on a globe, however. His 1506 portrait of an architect shows a man holding a square, such as might normally be used by an architect or a stonemason or a carpenter. Neither of these pieces is really compelling as a Masonic reference; one expects an astronomer to use a set of compasses, and an architect to use a square.

Melencolia I, however, is another matter altogether.

Is 16th Century Durer Plausible as a Mason?

Of course, one of the major objections to considering Durer as some sort of secret Freemason is the fact that he died in 1528, almost two full centuries before the formation of the premier Grand Lodge of England in 1717. The earliest record of Masonic initiation in England occurs in 1641 (the initiation of Robert Moray into a traveling Scottish military lodge), although David Stevenson convincingly has shown that Freemason's lodges were formed in Scotland as early as 1599 (see his books The Origins of Freemasons and The First Freemasons). However, Scotland in 1599 was a long way in both time and space from Germany in 1528. How could Durer plausibly have been a Freemason, or a member of some sort of proto-Masonic group?

Maybe the same way that Bosch was.

The late historian of Freemasonry, John J. Robinson, presents a convincing case for the idea that Durer's contemporary, the Flemish artist Hieronymous Bosch (about 1450-1516) hid Masonic symbolism in at least one of his paintings, The Wayfarer (background here). (See Chapter 11, pp. 118-119 of Robinson's 1993 book, A Pilgrim's Path: Freemasonry and the Religious Right.) In Bosch's painting, Robinson finds references to Masonic initiatory ritual, as well as other Masonic symbols. I find Robinson's argument quite intriguing.

If Bosch, as a Flemish painter in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, somehow had access to Masonic initiatory symbols, then perhaps Durer did as well in the Germany of that period, or during his travels. (His whereabouts during his 4-year Wanderjahre -- quite the 'gap year'! -- are poorly known.) I don't know how it could have happened. However, the enigmatic evidence in Bosch's The Wayfarer and Durer's Melencolia I makes at least a plausible case for these artists being some kind of Masonic initiates.

Durer and The Lost Symbol

It's not hard to see where this could go, as far as The Lost Symbol is concerned. Some artwork of Durer on display in Washington, DC, has some clue for Robert Langdon to follow -- a clue regarding some Masonic conspiracy.

Sounds good to me.

[The image of Durer's Melencolia I, above, was obtained from the Wikimedia Commons through Wikipedia. The artwork and its reproduction are in the public domain.]

(Copyright 2009 Mark E. Koltko-Rivera. All Rights Reserved.)